Book – A Novel
 | |
| Author | Robert Grudin |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Metafiction |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
Publication date | 1992 |
| Media type | Print Hardcover and paperback |
| Pages | 251pp |
| ISBN | 0-14-023113-7 |
Book: A Novel (1992) is a metafictional novel by Robert Grudin, published in 1992.[1][2] The novel was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize in Literature.[3]
Plot
The story follows English professor Adam Snell as he realizes that someone is trying to kill both him and his book, Sovrana Sostrata, a book about truth. As a metafiction work the novel parodies literary forms—each chapter is told in a different style ranging from traditional linear drama, to newspaper reports, to a playwright's script, to a carefully annotated scholarly work from the 19th century—to the point where the novel's footnotes come alive and literally try to take over the narrative.
Themes
The novel explores the power struggles that exist with academia and the lack of administration support for creativity within universities. They are similar to other works by Robert Grudin because they also place emphasis on liberty, determinism, and other political philosophies.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ Grudin, Robert (1993). Book: A Novel. Penguin Books. ISBN 9780140231137.
- ↑ Bernays, Anne (1992-08-30). "Book Review : BOOK: A Novel, By Robert Grudin (Random House: $19; 257 pp.)". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
- ↑ "Design and Truth: Robert Grudin". yale.edu. Yale University Press. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
- ↑ "Robert Grudin". foresight.org. Foresight Institute. Archived from the original on Sep 24, 2006. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
External links