Belonging and narrative : a theory of the American novel /

Why did the novel become so popular in the past three centuries, and how did the American novel contribute to this trend? As a key provider of the narrative frames and formulas needed by modern individuals to give meaning and mooring to their lives. Drawing on phenomenological hermeneutics, human ge...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Bieger, Laura (Author)
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: Bielefeld : Transcript, [2018]
Series:Lettre (Transcript (Firm))
Subjects:
Description
Summary:Why did the novel become so popular in the past three centuries, and how did the American novel contribute to this trend? As a key provider of the narrative frames and formulas needed by modern individuals to give meaning and mooring to their lives. Drawing on phenomenological hermeneutics, human geography and social psychology, Laura Bieger contends that belonging is not a given; it is continuously produced by narrative. Against the current emphasis on metaphors of movement and destabilization, she explores the salience and significance of home. Challenging views of narrative as a mechanism of ideology, she approaches narrative as a practical component of dwelling in the world - and the novel a primary place-making agent.
Item Description:Originally presented as the author's habilitation (Berlin) under the title: No place like home: the ontological narrativity of belonging and the American novel, 1799-1934-2006.
Physical Description:179 pages : some illustrations ; 23 cm.
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN:9783837646009
3837646009