{"product_id":"understanding-will-self-hayes-9781570036750","title":"Understanding Will Self","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe first scholarly approach to the \"dirty magical realism\" of Self's fiction\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eUnderstanding Will Self\u003c\/i\u003e introduces readers to the satire and expressive ingenuity of a British writer who has garnered an array of awards since the 1991 publication of his first short story collection, \u003ci\u003eThe Quantity Theory of Insanity.\u003c\/i\u003e In this guide to the well-received but largely unstudied writer, M. Hunter Hayes examines the key themes, narrative strategies, and cultural commentaries that characterize Self's work. Through close textual analyses, Hayes guides readers through the alternative universe of Self's writing and maps the interplay between his forays into journalism and fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarked by their combination of seemingly improbable events and quotidian details, Self's novels, novellas, and short stories examine contemporary English life through a mode of writing that he has aptly termed \"dirty magical realism.\" Hayes shows how recurring characters have evolved through successive works and in relation to their environments. He places Self's writing within its historical and critical contexts and uses each chapter to address either a single work or a group of closely connected works. Hayes's analyses range from well-regarded novels to notable yet uncollected short stories and draw upon secondary critical texts to reassess Self's critical standing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Hayes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1570036756\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781570036750\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of South Carolina Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/06\/2007\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 221\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.72lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.37h x 6.80w x 0.96d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eReference and Research Bk News\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2007 pg. 276","brand":"Hayes","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48485620515071,"sku":"9781570036750","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_5a629423-6c03-4991-a0f5-52f5b697fe53.jpg?v=1778050436","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/understanding-will-self-hayes-9781570036750","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}