Structures of meaning : form and the mundane in the contemporary novel

In the contemporary novel, the mundane is proving addictive. The lengthy digressions and obsessive details of Karl Ove Knausgaard have hooked readers, while Brett Easton Ellis hailed Tao Lin as 'the most interesting prose stylist of his generation', while labelling his novel Taipei 'b...

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Main Author:	Jarai, Maté
Other Authors:	May, William ; Smith, Rebecca ; Cobb, Shelley
Published:	University of Southampton 2017
Online Access:	https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.741627

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spelling	ndltd-bl.uk-oai-ethos.bl.uk-7416272019-01-08T03:17:38ZStructures of meaning : form and the mundane in the contemporary novelJarai, MatéMay, William ; Smith, Rebecca ; Cobb, Shelley2017In the contemporary novel, the mundane is proving addictive. The lengthy digressions and obsessive details of Karl Ove Knausgaard have hooked readers, while Brett Easton Ellis hailed Tao Lin as 'the most interesting prose stylist of his generation', while labelling his novel Taipei 'boring'. But what strategies does the contemporary writer use to arouse interest in monotony? This thesis explores the question through a new novel Illuminato, whose protagonist Florián Hal struggles to find meaning, in what he feels is a pointless existence. The novel asks the reader to explore Florián's world experientially, and focus on the repetitiveness of his daily life. Through the novel, I ask how the contemporary mundane can prompt intrigue, immersion, and engagement from readers. The accompanying critical commentary considers strategies for writing the mundane, focusing on Tao Lin, Karl Ove Knausgaard and Scarlett Thomas. It assesses the techniques and devices these writers use in place of narrative climax or dramatic action, concentrating on their use of style, structure, and their interest in questions of fidelity, realism and form. It focuses on three distinct binaries of the contemporary mundane; Tao Lin's interest in attention versus boredom, Knausgaard's depiction of memory and the present, and Thomas' contest between action and ideas. Each binary is examined with reference to the drafting and development of my own novel; in chapter one, from my protagonists' distracted narration; in chapter two, the flashbacks used to represent his past; to the use of Plato's cave allegory as a substitute for dramatic structure in chapter three. The doctoral project offers a work in dialogue with the contemporary mundane, while reflecting on its limitations, opportunities, and challenges.University of Southamptonhttps://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.741627https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/418887/Electronic Thesis or Dissertation
collection	NDLTD
sources	NDLTD
description	In the contemporary novel, the mundane is proving addictive. The lengthy digressions and obsessive details of Karl Ove Knausgaard have hooked readers, while Brett Easton Ellis hailed Tao Lin as 'the most interesting prose stylist of his generation', while labelling his novel Taipei 'boring'. But what strategies does the contemporary writer use to arouse interest in monotony? This thesis explores the question through a new novel Illuminato, whose protagonist Florián Hal struggles to find meaning, in what he feels is a pointless existence. The novel asks the reader to explore Florián's world experientially, and focus on the repetitiveness of his daily life. Through the novel, I ask how the contemporary mundane can prompt intrigue, immersion, and engagement from readers. The accompanying critical commentary considers strategies for writing the mundane, focusing on Tao Lin, Karl Ove Knausgaard and Scarlett Thomas. It assesses the techniques and devices these writers use in place of narrative climax or dramatic action, concentrating on their use of style, structure, and their interest in questions of fidelity, realism and form. It focuses on three distinct binaries of the contemporary mundane; Tao Lin's interest in attention versus boredom, Knausgaard's depiction of memory and the present, and Thomas' contest between action and ideas. Each binary is examined with reference to the drafting and development of my own novel; in chapter one, from my protagonists' distracted narration; in chapter two, the flashbacks used to represent his past; to the use of Plato's cave allegory as a substitute for dramatic structure in chapter three. The doctoral project offers a work in dialogue with the contemporary mundane, while reflecting on its limitations, opportunities, and challenges.
author2	May, William ; Smith, Rebecca ; Cobb, Shelley
author_facet	May, William ; Smith, Rebecca ; Cobb, Shelley Jarai, Maté
author	Jarai, Maté
spellingShingle	Jarai, Maté Structures of meaning : form and the mundane in the contemporary novel
author_sort	Jarai, Maté
title	Structures of meaning : form and the mundane in the contemporary novel
title_short	Structures of meaning : form and the mundane in the contemporary novel
title_full	Structures of meaning : form and the mundane in the contemporary novel
title_fullStr	Structures of meaning : form and the mundane in the contemporary novel
title_full_unstemmed	Structures of meaning : form and the mundane in the contemporary novel
title_sort	structures of meaning : form and the mundane in the contemporary novel
publisher	University of Southampton
publishDate	2017
url	https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.741627
work_keys_str_mv	AT jaraimate structuresofmeaningformandthemundaneinthecontemporarynovel
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Structures of meaning : form and the mundane in the contemporary novel

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