Books in the Continuum Literary Studies series

Argues that a true understanding of Philip Larkin as man and poet lies beyond his enduring public appeal and the variety of criticism that has been applied to his work. This book sheds light on the hitherto ignored spiritual significance of his work. It draws upon insights gained from the history of art and the study of religion and myth.

Drawing together diverse literary, critical and theoretical texts in which the palimpsest has appeared since its inauguration by Thomas De Quincey in 1845, this work provides a genealogy of this metaphor. It also provides a reference point and critical tool for future employment of the concept of 'palimpsestuousness'.

Organised around each decade of the post war period, this book analyses novels written by and for women from 1945 onwards. Each chapter identifies a specific genre in popular fiction for women which marked that period and provides case studies focusing on writers and texts which enjoyed a wide readership.

Uses close analysis of key African-American literary texts to investigate the links between the development of blues and jazz and the development of modern African-American literature. This study also examines the highly varied manifestations of a jazz aesthetic as possibly the fundamental common demoninator which links these writers.

Offers an approach to contemporary literature, emphasising the links in the depiction of marginalized groups in contemporary fiction. This study provides readings of a wide range of contemporary British novels that represent characters or communities at the margin of society.

Contributes to the understanding of an important but overlooked aspect of modern poetry, offering a comparative approach to the topic. This collection of research explores the interaction of religious awareness and literary expression in English poetry in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Provides a critical and cultural theory-based study of male jealousy in western culture and its connections with paranoia. This book traces the meanings of jealousy and the representation of jealous men and argues that jealousy is promoted within patriarchy. It also explores the economy of possession and its relationship to the body.

Argues against the idea that the 'postmodern condition' of late twentieth and early twenty-first century culture has undermined the close and creative association between religious practice and literature. This study suggests that the novel has become an increasingly vital, dynamic and problematic space for engaging with the sacred.

A monograph, which surveys the portrayal of finance and money in British fiction. It argues that British fiction demystifies the 'weightless' economy of contemporary money and critiques the popular sense of money as being everywhere but nowhere.

Addresses the ways in which we read literary history according to quite specific images of growth, development, progression, flourishing and succession. This book argues that the literary and historical imagery of releasing the radical spirit of a text from the dead weight of received tradition is the dominant doxa of historicism.

Investigates how the notion of incarnation has been employed in phenomenology and how this has influenced literary criticism. This book examines the interest that Joyce and Proust share in the concept of incarnation.

By examining the relation between time and processes of figuration in James Joyce's later work, this study identifies his attempt to engage with the philosophical problem of describing time's characteristic movement whilst acknowledging the impossibility of reducing this movement to anything that can be observed, represented or even experienced.

Presents a critique of views that the fiction of Joseph Conrad is innocent of any interest in or concern with sexuality and the erotic, and that when he does attempt to depict sexual desire or erotic excitement, it results in bad writing. This book argues for a revision of the view that Conrad lacks understanding of and interest in sexuality.

Focuses on a contemporary form of computer-based literature called 'literary hypertext', a digital, interactive, communicative form of new media writing. This book combines theoretical and hermeneutic investigations with empirical research into the motivational and pedagogic possibilities of this form of literature.

Presents the analysis of the representation of London in post-war fiction from Iris Murdoch to Zadie Smith. This book explores the literary re-imagining of the city in post-war fiction and argues that the image, history, and narrative of the city has been transformed alongside the physical rebuilding and repositioning of the capital.

Undertakes a comparative analysis of the works of Iain Sinclair and Peter Ackroyd, placing the fiction and non-fiction of both writers in relation to the broader cultural, social and political contexts of London from 1979.

Provides a structured process of writing activities using imitation, variation and experimentation. This work contains practical composition techniques such as 'transformational writing', 're-writing' or 'translation'. It also includes appendices with examples of the range of activities that can be used and an indicative list of literary examples.