Graham Swift is among the foremost contemporary British writers, having published seven highly acclaimed novels which are widely read by students and general public alike. Waterland has become a modern classic, and Last Orders won the Booker prize for fiction in 2006. This study covers all Swift's novels to The Light of Day: it offers a close reading of each of the novels, exploring the innovative formal strategies and identifying such recurrent themes as the presence of the past in the present, the blurring of distinctions between `history' and `story', fact and fiction, and the possibilities of redemption in a contemporary social and emotional wasteland. For the most part set in an urban, middle-class, claustrophobic and loveless present, and focused on usually fraught relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, these recognisably postmodern novels are seen here as symptomatic of contemporary Britain: a world where, in the shadow of the nuclear holocaust, we approach `the End of History, and only `telling stories' seems to offer solace.

About the Author

Peter Widdowson is Professor of English the University of Gloucestershire. He has published widely on a range of topics, recent books including: i>Literature (1999); The Palgrave Guide to English Literature and Its Contexts, 1500-2000 (2004); A Reader's Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory, 5th edtn. (with Raman Selden and Peter Brooker (2005); Graham Swift (2005). But he is perhaps best known for his writings on Hardy: Hardy in History: A Study in Literary Sociology (1989); (ed.), Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A New Casebook (1993); On Thomas Hardy: Late Essays and Earlier (1998); (ed.) Thomas Hardy: Selected Poetry and Non-Fictional Prose (1996); (ed. with Tim Dolin), Thomas Hardy and Contemporary Literary Studies (2004), several of which contain essays on Hardy and film

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

We carry a comprehensive range of out of print and rare books.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

Kennys Bookshops and Art Galleries Limited
Liosban Industrial Estate, Tuam Road, Galway, GY, Ireland

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

We guarantee the condition of every book as it's described on the Abebooks websites.

If you're dissatisfied with your purchase (Incorrect Book/Not as Described/Damaged) or if the order hasn't arrived, you're eligible for a refund within 30 days of the estimated delivery date.

For any queries please use the contact seller link or send an email to books@kennys.ie

Conor Kenny

Right of cancellation

Shipping Terms

All books securely packaged. Some books ship from Ireland.

Shipping rates from U.S.A. to United Kingdom

Shipping rates from U.S.A. to United Kingdom
Order quantity	12 to 18 business days	10 to 16 business days
First item	� 2.23	� 2.68

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.