Spy Thrillers

by Clive Bloom

Published 19 November 1990
This volume presents 13 essays on the Spy Thriller in the 20th century and includes a critical introduction to the subject. Each essay combines historical and aesthetic theory with practical criticism. Authors covered range from Joseph Conrad and John Buchan to Ian Fleming and John Le Carre.

This volume offers critical and theoretical perspectives on one of the most popular and enduring literary genres: American crime fiction. There are essays on Edgar Allan Poe, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, James M.Cain, Mickey Spillane, George V.Higgins and Jerome Charyn, covering the period from 1840 to 1980. Hammett and Chandler have two essays each, reflecting their importance, and lasting influence on the genre. Each essay deals with a major aspect or concept associated with crime fiction. A variety of reading strategies are employed to interrogate these texts, illustrating both the range of approaches available and the fact that modern literary theory can usefully be applied to any text or genre. Students of crime fiction seeking new readings, and readers interested in modern approaches to literature, such as psychoanalytic theories, Marxist theory, semiotics, and linguistic theory, will find this book useful and informative. The essays are all new, and have been specially written for Insights by leading academics.

Dealing with moral, political and sexual tensions, this volume provides a forum for male/female dialogue concerning the history, dissemination and consequences of pornographic representaion in film and literature, aiming to challenge established views and inspire further exploration and debate.

American Poetry

by Clive Bloom and Brian Docherty

Published 28 June 1995
This collection of specially commissioned essays brings together leading scholars and critics to define the American modernist canon. Tracing its origins back to Walt Whitman, this radical poetry is inspired by the concept of democracy vital to the American dream and extends across America from east to west and in varying hues - imagist, objectionist, Beat. New theoretical approaches applied to a wide range of poets make this the most comprehensive survey of American modernist poetry available.