Hardback | |
October 31, 2016 | |
9781611177015 | |
English | |
120 | |
9.00 Inches (US) | |
6.00 Inches (US) | |
.65 Pounds (US) | |
$41.99 USD | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Understanding Walter Mosley
All Mosley's texts feature his trademark accessibility as well as his penchant for creating narratives that both entertain and instruct. Larson examines how Mosley's writing interrogates, complicates, and contextualizes recurring moral, social, and even personal questions. She also considers the possible roots of Mosley's enduring popularity with a diverse group of readers. Larson then traces key themes and claims throughout the Easy Rawlins series to show how Mosley's beloved hero offers unique perspectives on race, class, and masculinity in the mid- to late twentieth century; explores the ways in which Fearless Jones, Mosley's second detective, both builds on and diverges from his predecessor's character; and looks at how the works featuring Leonid McGill, Mosley's junior detective, center on understanding the complex relationship between present-day social dilemmas and the personal as well as the communal past.
Regarding Mosley's other genres, Larson argues that the science fiction works together portray a future in which race, class, and gender are completely reimagined, yet still subject to an oppressive power dynamic, while his erotica asks readers to reconsider the dynamics of power and control but in a more personal, even intimate, context. Similarly, in Mosley's nongenre fiction, stories are revived through a reconnection with the past, a reclaiming of cultural heritage and lineage, and a rejection of classist visions of power. Finally, Mosley's nonfiction, which persuades his audience to act through writing, humanitarian efforts, or social uprising, offers a mix of lessons aimed at guiding readers through the same questions that inform his fiction writing.
About the Author
Reviews
"Noteworthy in Larson's study is the evolution of Easy Rawlins as a character in coherence with changes in race relations over the years since 1948, the time-peg for Devil in a Blue Dress, the first novel in the series."—American Literary Scholarship: 2016
"Writing about the superhumanly productive Walter Mosley is comparable to trying to hold time in a bottle. Yet, Jennifer Larson manages to hold the cap on long enough to provide an informed, engaged, and remarkably accessible study of Mosley's expansive, cross-genre creations. This succinct volume is a gift to Mosley lovers everywhere."—Trudier Harris, University of Alabama
"Larson provides fans and scholars with guides for exploring Mosley's diverse and expanding literary territory. She nimbly walks the fan through the Easy Rawlins series and then uses representative works to illuminate Mosley's other fictional genre. She often opens avenues for scholarly inquiry, especially in linking Mosley's understudied nonfiction to his fictional work."—Owen Brady, Clarkson University
"Walter Mosley is a prolific, provocative, and profound writer, equally at home in a wide range of literary genres. Jennifer Larson has accomplished a difficult, yet worthy task in seeking out new critical insights within both the well-lit rooms and dark corners of Mosley's vast and diverse body of work."—Derek C. Maus, State University of New York at Potsdam
Hardback | |
October 31, 2016 | |
9781611177015 | |
English | |
120 | |
9.00 Inches (US) | |
6.00 Inches (US) | |
.65 Pounds (US) | |
$41.99 USD | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Other Titles by Jennifer Larson
Understanding Suzan-Lori Parks
Other Titles from Understanding Contemporary American Literature
Understanding Michael S. Harper
Understanding Jonathan Franzen
Understanding David Mamet, updated edition
Other Titles in LITERARY CRITICISM / American / African American
Light and Legacies
Beckett in Black and Red
Reading Africa into American Literature