Politics and the British Novel in the 1970s

The 1970s in Britain saw industrial disputes, a referendum on European Economic Community membership, immigration and citizenship issues, and environmental and feminist movements. It was also a decade of innovation in the novel, with novelists addressing the state of the nation directly. Russell Perkin's book explores the connections between the novel and politics, situating the works in the history and culture of the decade. These works not only represented the politics of the time but played a meaningful role in them.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 15 June 2021
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

The 1970s in Britain witnessed a remarkable array of industrial disputes, a referendum on European Economic Community membership, intense debates surrounding immigration and citizenship, and the emergence of environmental and feminist movements. It was also a decade of remarkable innovation in the novel, with authors often using their works to directly address the state of the nation. In his insightful book, Politics and the British Novel in the 1970s, Russell Perkin delves into the world of social novels by John Fowles and Margaret Drabble, the Cold War thrillers of John le Carré, Richard Adams's beloved fable Watership Down, the popular campus novels of Malcolm Bradbury and David Lodge, Doris Lessing's dystopian visions, and V.S. Naipaul's explorations of post-colonial displacement. These highly acclaimed works not only achieved remarkable sales figures but have also stood the test of time, standing as a testament to the enduring power of the political novel in elucidating a nation's identity. Perkin's book delves into the intricate connections between the novel and politics, placing the works under discussion within the rich historical and cultural context of the decade, encompassing everything from party politics to popular television shows. The 1970s in Britain were a period of significant industrial unrest, a referendum on European Economic Community membership, intense debates surrounding immigration and citizenship, and the emergence of environmental and feminist movements. It was also a decade of remarkable innovation in the novel, with authors often using their works to directly address the state of the nation. In his book, Politics and the British Novel in the 1970s, Russell Perkin explores the world of social novels by John Fowles and Margaret Drabble, the Cold War thrillers of John le Carré, Richard Adams's beloved fable Watership Down, the popular campus novels of Malcolm Bradbury and David Lodge, Doris Lessing's dystopian visions, and V.S. Naipaul's explorations of post-colonial displacement. These highly acclaimed works not only achieved remarkable sales figures but have also stood the test of time, standing as a testament to the enduring power of the political novel in elucidating a nation's identity. Perkin's book delves into the intricate connections between the novel and politics, placing the works under discussion within the rich historical and cultural context of the decade, encompassing everything from party politics to popular television shows.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228006237