Postwar British Fiction New Accents and Attitudes

Originally published in 1962, this book by James Gindin addresses the expanded scope of British writing in the wake of the Second World War, not only in terms of the increased equality between the classes but also of varied uses of humor, the impact of Britain's relationship with America and changes in literary style. Gindin shows how the work of authors such as Iris Murdoch, Kingsley Amis and Doris Lessing, among others, reflects the change in society's terms compared to their literary predecessors. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in modern English fiction.

1. The first steps; 2. Alan Silitoe's jungle; 3. Kingsley Amis' funny novels; 4. Anger as affirmation; 5. Doris Lessing's intense commitment; 6. Education and the contemporary class structure; 7. Creeping Americanism; 8. The moral center of John Wain's fiction; 9. Angus Wilson's qualified nationalism; 10. Comedy and understatement; 11. Images of illusion in the work of Iris Murdoch; 12. 'Gimmick' and metaphor in the novels of William Golding; 13. Some current fads; 14. Identity and the existential; Notes on the authors.