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Preface. <p>Acknowledgements.</p> <p><b>Part I: Realism Versus Modernism: Win, Lose or Draw?</b>.</p> <p>1. Before Now. A Brief Account of the Pre-1970s British Novel.</p> <p>2. Something Unusual: Martin Amis and Ian McEwan.</p> <p>3. The Effects of Thatcherism.</p> <p>4. The New Postmodernists.</p> <p><b>Part II: Excursions From the Ordinary.</b></p> <p>5. The New Historical Novel.</p> <p>6. Crime and Spy Fiction.</p> <p><b>Part III: Sex</b>.</p> <p>7. Women.</p> <p>8. Men.</p> <p>9. Gay Fiction.</p> <p><b>Part IV: Nation, Race and Place</b>.</p> <p>10. Scotland.</p> <p>11. England, Englishness and Class.</p> <p>12. The Question of Elsewhere.</p> <p>13. Wales.</p> <p>14. The Troubles.</p> <p>15. Epilogue: The State of the Novel.</p> <p>Select Bibliography: Recommended Further Reading.</p> <p>Index</p>

A <i>Choice</i> Outstanding Academic Title for 2007<br /> <p>"This survey of a vast field is elegantly managed, with agreeable readings along the way."<br /> <i>The Guardian</i><br /> </p> <p>"Bradford is formidable, bracing and wildly stimulating"<br /> <i>The Telegraph</i><br /> </p> <p><br /> </p> <p>"The <i>Novel Now</i> shows that Richard Bradford is a very sharp and unillusioned critic; that he is his own man."<br /> <i>Martin Amis</i><br /> </p> <p><br /> </p> <p><b>Praise for Richard Bradford’s previous works:<br /> For</b> <i><b>Lucky Him: The Life of Kingsley Amis</b><br /> </i>"sharp and convincing… written with magisterial skill"<br /> <i>The Daily Telegraph</i><br /> "perceptive… intelligent… written with an unstrident ease and sympathy that would surely have pleased his subject" <i>The Spectator</i><br /> </p> <p><br /> </p> <p><b>For <i>First Boredom, Then Fear: The Life of Philip Larkin<br /> </i></b>"quite the best book [on him] yet to appear… a masterful analysis… Bradford is in such complete command of his subject matter, nothing escapes him. It is as if he has had access to Larkin’s very thought processes. A great biography of a great artistic genius. Utterly magnificent"<br /> <i>The Daily Express<br /> </i>"extraordinary… quite the best thing to appear on Larkin in ages"<br /> <i>The London Evening Standard</i></p>

<b>Richard Bradford</b> is Professor of English at the University of Ulster. He has published 14 books on a variety of topics, from Milton to literary theory to post-war British literature. His recent biographies of Kingsley Amis (<i>Lucky Him: The Life of Kingsley Amis, </i>2001) and Philip Larkin (<i>First Boredom, Then Fear: The Life of Philip Larkin</i>, 2005) have received excellent reviews.

<i>The Novel Now</i> is a scrupulous and entertaining account of what has happened to British fiction since 1970. It exposes pretentious and self-indulgent writers and celebrates those novelists whose qualities are exceptional. The book will show that enjoyment and critical scrutiny are not mutually exclusive activities; it is designed to appeal both to general readers and scholars.<br /> <p><br /> </p> <p>Richard Bradford examines both emerging and celebrated authors, considering the work of rising literary stars and weighing their merits against more established figures. Through rigorous evaluation and reflection, the author takes a look at where literature has been, and where it is going. Incorporating coverage of subgenres such as ‘chick lit’, ‘lad lit’, crime fiction and the historical novel, this volume also examines the ways in which gender, sexuality and sexual orientation have been addressed in fiction over the past three decades.</p>

"The <i>Novel Now</i> shows that Richard Bradford is a very sharp and unillusioned critic; that he is his own man."<br /> <i>–Martin Amis</i>

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