Landscapes of Language : The Achievement and Context of Richard Brautigan's Fiction

Annotation In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Richard Brautigan was a counter-cultural celebrity, a writer that the would-be hip just had to read. The problem was that his fame did not rest on the considerable literary virtues of his work but, to a great extent, on a mediated image of cool hippie, which fell out of fashion in the mid-70s. This is the first book-length study of Brautigan in English for 30 years. Its purpose is to reclaim Brautigan's reputation. Dr. John Tanner analyses Brautigan's fiction against the background of the cultural and literary upheavals from which it emerged and demonstrates that Brautigan is no mere Sixties curio but an innovative and vibrant American voice ignored for far too long. John Tanner teaches English Literature and Creative Writing at Bangor University. He is an elected member of the Welsh Academy of writers and his poetry has appeared in various magazines, in the anthology The Lie of the Land, and in the collected volume of his verse, Pieces, both published by Cinnamon Press In The Late 1960s And Early 1970s, Richard Brautigan Was A Counter-cultural Celebrity, A Writer That The Would-be Hip Just Had To Read. The Problem Was That His Fame Did Not Rest On The Considerable Literary Virtues Of His Work But, To A Great Extent, On A Hippie Image Exemplified By The Photograph Of Him On The Cover Of His Breakthrough Novel, Trout Fishing In America. When Nobody Wanted Tie-dye Shirts And Gurus Any More, They Didn’t Want Brautigan Either. Academics Have Followed The Public’s Lead: This Is The First Book-length Study Of Brautigan In English For 30 Years. Its Purpose Is To Reclaim Brautigan’s Reputation. Dr. John Tanner Analyses Brautigan’s Fiction Against The Background Of The Cultural And Literary Upheavals From Which It Emerged And Demonstrates That Brautigan Is No Mere Sixties Curio But An Innovative And Vibrant American Voice Ignored For Far Too Long. Licence and Use 2 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 CONTENTS 6 General Editors’ Introduction 7 Introduction 11 Chapter One: In Fragments 15 Chapter Two: Cultivating the hybrids 24 The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster 24 Revenge of the Lawn 32 Chapter Three: Things fall apart 42 A Confederate General from Big Sur 42 Chapter Four: Language as mindscape 52 In Watermelon Sugar 52 Chapter Five: Escape from the tomb of words 63 The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966 63 Chapter Six: Beyond metafiction 74 Trout Fishing in America 74 Theme, plot, character, location and the transcending of genre 75 The role of language and tone of voice 87 An aesthetic artefact 92 Chapter Seven: A long goodbye 100 Works Cited 108 A Note on the Author 118 Humanities-Ebooks 119 In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Richard Brautigan was a counter-cultural celebrity, a writer that the would-be hip just had to read. The problem was that his fame did not rest on the considerable literary virtues of his work but, to a great extent, on a mediated image of cool hippie that has gone out of fashion. This is the first book-length study of Brautigan in English for 30 years. Its purpose is to reclaim Brautigan's reputation. Dr. John Tanner analyses Brautigan's fiction against the background of the cultural and literary upheavals from which it emerged and demonstrates that Brautigan is no mere Sixties curio but an innovative and vibrant American voice ignored for far too long.