James Nagel offers the first systematic history and definition of the short-story cycle as exemplified in contemporary American fiction, bringing attention to the format's wide appeal among various ethnic groups. He examines in detail eight recent manifestations of the genre, all praised by critics while uniformly misidentified as novels. Nagel proposes that the short-story cycle, with its concentric as opposed to linear plot development possibilities, lends itself particularly well to exploring themes of ethnic assimilation, which mirror some of the major issues facing American society today.
James Nagel is the J. O. Eidson Distinguished Professor of American Literature at the University of Georgia, founder of the journal Studies in American Fiction, and cofounder of the American Literature Association. Among his previous books are Stephen Crane and Literary Impressionism; Ernest Hemingway: The Oak Park Legacy; and, with Henry s. Villard, Hemingway in Love and War: The Lost Diary of Agnes von Kurowsky.
Praise for The Contemporary American Short-Story Cycle
A valuable study, particularly insightful in its elaboration of the contributions of ethnic writers to a recognizable, if difficult to define, genre.—Modern Fiction Studies
Whether one reads the book in its entirety or goes to a particular chapter to gain an understanding of a specific writer, the reader is rewarded with a plenitude of original and astute local insights. Nagel’s study is to be recommended for students and instructors alike.—Contemporary Literature
[Nagel’s] range of example is impressive, amounting to a comprehensive survey of the genre in recent times.—
American Literary Scholarship
