by Walker Percy
First published 1987
Walker Percy turns his analytical eye toward the literary landscape of the 1980s. The acclaimed author of "The Moviegoer" and "Love in the Ruins" surveys contemporary American fiction, examining how novels function in modern society. Percy considers what fiction can accomplish that other forms of communication cannot. He explores the relationship between novelist and reader, questioning whether literature still serves its traditional purposes. The book reflects on storytelling's role when television and other media dominate cultural conversation. Percy draws from his experience as both practicing novelist and keen observer of American culture. His investigation reveals tensions between artistic ambition and popular appeal, between experimental techniques and accessible narrative. The work offers Percy's perspective on fiction's possibilities and limitations during a period of significant cultural change.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, non-fiction, criticism, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: analytical, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Period: 1980s
20 pages · Hardcover · Faust Publishing Company