William Gaddis: Expanded Edition

Reviews / Votes

In 1982, Steven Moore invented Gaddis Studies when he published his comprehensive Reader's Guide to The Recognitions. Thirty years, and three books later, he's returned to his landmark 1989 monograph on Gaddis's work, bringing it up-to-date with new chapters on Gaddis's late work. This is the definitive study of both how Gaddis's novels work and why they matter. In each authoritative chapter Moore maps their large intellectual investments and intricate architecture, in lucid and well-informed readings that underline the fact that Moore has a deeper insight into this important body of fiction than anyone else. * Stephen J. Burn, Reader in American Literature, University of Glasgow, UK * Steven Moore is one of our most important Gaddis scholars and, with the recent revival of interest in William Gaddis's powerful literary legacy, this revised guidebook will become an invaluable resource for undergraduates, graduate students, scholars starting work on Gaddis, and lay readers who might be interested in learning more about his art. * Lee Konstantinou, Assistant Professor of English, University of Maryland, College Park, USA * Where would Gaddis studies be without Steven Moore? His indispensable guide, for many years the only monographic introduction to Gaddis's fiction, is back again in a new, expanded and updated edition, and more indispensable than ever. Moore unravels the often tortuous situations and storylines of the novels, highlighting their satire and comedy, which can sometimes elude readers. These are not solemn books, but 'frolics,' and Moore is not a solemn explicator but a knowledgeable enthusiast-the ideal traveling companion for any voyager in Gaddisland. * Brian McHale, Arts & Humanities Distinguished Professor of English, The Ohio State University, USA * There are a handful of William Gaddis specialists in the world. One of them, Stephen Burn (also a respected David Foster Wallace critic), in a quotation on the back of the expanded edition of Moore's critical study of Gaddis' works-suitably updated and released in February of this year, a handful of months ahead of Tabbi's biography-states that its author 'invented Gaddis Studies when he published his comprehensive guide to The Recognitions' (in 1982; now available online). Anyone writing after that, and after his original Twayne edition of William Gaddis (1989), owes much to Moore's analysis. -- Jeff Bursey * Numero Cinq *