Tom Wolfe's America
Subtitle: heroes, pranksters, and fools
By: Kevin T. McEneaney.
Publisher: Praeger Publishers
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Westport, Conn
Language: eng
Number of pages: 197
ISBN-13: 9780313365447
Subjects: Wolfe, Tom -- Criticism and interpretation; Wolfe, Tom -- Political and social views; Social values in literature; Manners and customs in literature; Popular culture -- United States -- History -- 20th century; United States -- In literature; United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century
Description: While The Right Stuff and The Bonfire of the Vanities remain perhaps his best known works, the author's journalism and fiction continues to enjoy a large audience, perhaps chiefly because of the variety of his subjects and his controversial approach to them. Here, he offers an account of the man and his works, explaining along the way Wolfe's use of irony, his obsessive themes, and even his use of pranks. More comprehensive in scope than any preceding book on Wolfe, it offers accurate and accessible commentary based upon what Wolfe admits about his own work. In this new book, Wolfe's work is put in journalistic and literary context. The reliability of Wolfe's journalism is discussed, especially when there are alternative narrations to events he has depicted. McEneaney also examines the Wolfe's use of pranks that he plays on readers at times, and uncovers the influences on Wolfe that have contributed to his unique style. Finally, the author discusses Wolfe's impact on other writers.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: The Manhattan Virginian; title: Journalism and hyperbole; title: Prankster riddles; title: From reporting to politics; title: Historian at edge city; title: Iconoclastic culture shredding; title: Vanity rags; title: Cultural drift; title: The ivory tower in ruins?; title: Vroom! Wolfe's status in American literature.