The British novel in the twenty-first century

More about the book

The contemporary British novel is thriving, engaging with 21st-century issues, generating new forms and sub-genres, and enjoying significant popularity and cultural prestige. This handbook provides an overview of key recent trends in the British novel, mapping discernible developments. The discussed novels are contextualized within broader cultural transformations, examining their responses to contemporary concerns. The selected authors, works, and trends reflect a wide spectrum of current themes, genres, contexts, and formal innovations. The handbook pursues three main aims: first, to explore key works by influential novelists of the new millennium; second, to survey significant developments, subgenres, themes, narrative techniques, and contexts, focusing on the cultural issues addressed by the novels; and third, to offer in-depth analyses and interpretations of the novels while showcasing various theoretical and methodological approaches. By addressing literary history in the making, this handbook serves as an essential guide for teachers, students, and readers interested in the new directions and diverse trajectories of British novels in the 21st century.