Business of Reading

Annotation

In TheBusiness of Reading, Julian Lovelock charts the development of the Englishnovel over the past hundred years. Smuggling in titles from Scotland, Irelandand the Caribbean, he focuses on twenty texts written since the end of theFirst World War, some well-known but others less so, placing them in theirhistorical context. Novelists represented range from D.H. Lawrence, E.M. Forster and Virginia Woolf, through Graham Greene, Kingsley Amis and Iris Murdoch,to such contemporary writers as IanMcEwan, Maggie O'Farrell and Graham Swift.Written in alucid style that reflects his expertise and enthusiasm, Lovelock's innovativeselection, perceptive analysis and lightness of touch will appeal to thegeneral reader, the book club member and the student. He argues that ourresponse as readers is an important part of the creative process, and while hemainly avoids the critical '-isms' that have characterised recent academicdebate, he introduces such concepts as intertextuality, metafiction and therole of the often unreliable narrator, showing how an appreciation of the waythe language of fiction works can only add to our understanding and enjoyment.