Event overview
Contemporary Modernism and the Practice of Close Reading
Derek Attridge, FBA, Professor of English at the University of York
The development of a style of close reading in Britain in the 1950s went hand-in-hand with a concern for the moral grounding of culture, a concern that linked critics as different as Richard Hoggart and F. R. Leavis in their analysis of literary texts.
In this talk, I will ask whether close reading retains any usefulness in our critical engagement with examples of contemporary fiction that challenge many of those earlier assumptions about literary and cultural value.
My test cases are the novels of Tom McCarthy, Remainder, Men in Space, C, and Satin Island – works that, continuing the project of modernism, challenge the norms of the conventional novel by presenting characters without depth and plots without narrative tension or interpersonal development, and rely instead on a surface teeming with interrelated motifs and allusions. Is there a version of close reading that can do justice to the singularity of these works?
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Jan 2017 | 6:30pm - 8:00pm |
Accessibility
If you are attending an event and need the College to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs.
