Understanding Will Self (Understanding Contemporary British Literature)

"Understanding Will Self introduces readers to the satire, expressive ingenuity, and self-described "dirty magical realism" of a British writer who has garnered an array of writing awards since the 1991 publication of his first short story collection, The Quantity Theory of Insanity. In this guide to the well-received but largely unstudied writer, M. Hunter Hayes examines the key themes, narrative strategies, and cultural commentaries that characterize Self's work. Through close textual analyses, Hayes guides readers through the alternative universe of Self's writing and maps the interplay between his forays into journalism and fiction."--Jacket.