Mason (film studies, Univ. of Winchester, UK) intends his dictionary of several hundred entries to include "writers, movements, forms of writing and textual strategies, critical ideas, and texts that are significant in relation to postmodernist literature." He further adds scholars, journals, and cultural processes "where these are felt to be relevant to an understanding of postmodernist writing." The introductory essay on postmodernism provides a comprehensive overview and gives the reader a lucid understanding of this elliptical literary development. Students and scholars alike will quickly find definitions to such terms as "hyperfiction," "blank fiction," and "the death of originality"; they will easily locate any number of important authors, e.g., A.S. Byatt or Thomas Pynchon, and learn about their styles and techniques. Where seminal titles such as Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose and Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude are listed, concise articles expound on their place in postmodernist literature. The extensive bibliography is broken down into categories for theory, aesthetics, culture, media, and other subjects. A chronology from 1939 to 2006 highlights the dates of important developments in postmodernist literature and theater, while the highlighted cross-reference feature allows users to find more information on the topic (e.g., "Black Mountain Poets" leads to entries on Robert Creeley and Charles Olson).
In the second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Postmodernist Literature and Theater, Fran Mason presents 553 pages of a necessarily dense and complex reference work that begins with a chronology spanning 1939-2015 charting the subject matter as an international phenomenon heavily based in written and performed works…. In a mere 25 pages Mason manages to present in a clear and direct manner what could be impenetrable topics that will be essential reading for the novice researcher…. Following the introduction are 450 pages with over 400 entries in alphabetical order each enriched with cross-references in bold. These entries cover ‘writers, movements, forms of writing, textual strategies, critical ideas, and texts that are significant in relation to postmodernist literature.’ The collection of writers covered has been expanded from the previous edition to include cutting-edge writers from an international perspective.... The exhaustively researched bibliography is 73 pages long and has its own table of contents consisting of five major sections: General, Postmodernist Aesthetics, Postmodernist Literature (Fiction, Drama, and Poetry), Postmodernist Literature (Critical Works), then Journals and Websites. This dictionary is an indispensable guide for students of postmodernist literature and would be a worthy addition to any reference collection.
American Reference Books Annual
This significantly expanded second edition continues to build a bold framework for exploring the highly debated, complex, evolving literary movement of postmodernism. In addition to over 400 cross-referenced and alphabetically arranged entries, the volume includes an excellent introduction, a chronology of significant dates and literary works from 1939 to 2015, a handy list of acronyms, and an extensive, updated 75-page bibliography. The rewarding and informative 25-page introduction offers an unusually nuanced survey of the complexities of the field in providing multiple meanings of the term ‘postmodernism’ related to cultural production, poststructuralist theories, and aesthetic approaches. While continuing to focus on individual writers, trends, stylistic forms, critical ideas, and texts significant to postmodernism, including important scholars, journals, and cultural influences, Mason has supplemented the present edition with the names of writers who have recently emerged, consolidated their reputation, or become better known or influential. The addition at the end of a larger number of references and entries related to worldwide postmodernist literature reflects the increasing availability of English translations of important works.
This significantly expanded second edition continues to build a bold framework for exploring the highly debated, complex, evolving literary movement of postmodernism. In addition to over 400 cross-referenced and alphabetically arranged entries, the volume includes an excellent introduction, a chronology of significant dates and literary works from 1939 to 2015, a handy list of acronyms, and an extensive, updated 75-page bibliography. The rewarding and informative 25-page introduction offers an unusually nuanced survey of the complexities of the field in providing multiple meanings of the term ‘postmodernism’ related to cultural production, poststructuralist theories, and aesthetic approaches. While continuing to focus on individual writers, trends, stylistic forms, critical ideas, and texts significant to postmodernism, including important scholars, journals, and cultural influences, Mason has supplemented the present edition with the names of writers who have recently emerged, consolidated their reputation, or become better known or influential. The addition at the end of a larger number of references and entries related to worldwide postmodernist literature reflects the increasing availability of English translations of important works.
This significantly expanded second edition continues to build a bold framework for exploring the highly debated, complex, evolving literary movement of postmodernism. In addition to over 400 cross-referenced and alphabetically arranged entries, the volume includes an excellent introduction, a chronology of significant dates and literary works from 1939 to 2015, a handy list of acronyms, and an extensive, updated 75-page bibliography. The rewarding and informative 25-page introduction offers an unusually nuanced survey of the complexities of the field in providing multiple meanings of the term ‘postmodernism’ related to cultural production, poststructuralist theories, and aesthetic approaches. While continuing to focus on individual writers, trends, stylistic forms, critical ideas, and texts significant to postmodernism, including important scholars, journals, and cultural influences, Mason has supplemented the present edition with the names of writers who have recently emerged, consolidated their reputation, or become better known or influential. The addition at the end of a larger number of references and entries related to worldwide postmodernist literature reflects the increasing availability of English translations of important works.
Writers, movements, forms of writing and textual strategies, critical ideas, and texts are cited by Mason (U. of Winchester). He also includes scholars, journals, and cultural processes that he feels to be relevant to an understanding of postmodernist writings. He provides a chronology from 1939 to 2006, extensive cross-references, and a topically arranged bibliography, but no index.
Reference and Research Book News
Overall though, the bibliography is superbly researched, comprehensive, and an excellent resource for further study. The same can be said for the entire Dictionary, which will be a reasonably priced acquisition for any academic library.
"American Reference Books Annual"
On the whole, this dictionary will be very helpful both to the average reader and to the scholar in need of quick and reliable information on authors, works, and intertextual relationships among them. The material covered in this book is rich and wide-ranging, consolidating but not necessarily revising in essential ways our understanding of postmodernism.
September 2008 American Book Review
...essential reading....for any student of critic desiring to understand one of the major directions of contemporary literature.
March 2008 American Reference Books Annual
Mason's contribution to the field is extremely significant and should be acknowledged as such and this will be a very valuable entry point for students of postmodernist literature.
Summer 2007 Review Of Contemporary Fiction
Overall though, the bibliography is superbly researched, comprehensive, and an excellent resource for further study. The same can be said for the entire Dictionary, which will be a reasonably priced acquisition for any academic library.
Writers, movements, forms of writing and textual strategies, critical ideas, and texts are cited by Mason (U. of Winchester). He also includes scholars, journals, and cultural processes that he feels to be relevant to an understanding of postmodernist writings. He provides a chronology from 1939 to 2006, extensive cross-references, and a topically arranged bibliography, but no index.
May 2007 Reference and Research Book News
