Orwell to the Present

'...a significant addition to the field of post-war British literary studies, ongoing debates on the nature and fate of Englishness, and recent critical interrogations of the concept of periodicity. Admirably wide-ranging, filled with subtle and insightful readings and written in a lucid, consistently eloquent prose style, Brannigan's study will prove essential reading to anyone interested in the past half-century of British writing, the scattered itineraries of Englishness that writing maps, and the nature of the work literary theory performs in addressing the idea of a literary period. It is an excellent and rewarding book.' - Ian Baucom, Professor of English, Duke University 'John Brannigan has generated a new analysis of literature in the second half of the twentieth century, sidestepping many of the traditional preoccupations, foregrounding a distinctive array of texts. His book fizzes with insights; it will become a necessary reference point.' - Alan Sinfield, Professor of English, University of Sussex '...covers a wide range of authors in a stimulating way.' - Dr Tim Woods, University of Wales, Aberystwyth 'Very clear and engaging and fills a noted gap.' - Dr Eve Patten, Trinity College Dublin '...a fast-paced survey of future possible conclusions about the relationship between British literature and the national consciousness.' - W.B. Warde, Jr., Choice

JOHN BRANNIGAN teaches English at Trinity College Dublin and Queen's University of Belfast. He has published works on critical theory, postwar English literature and twentieth-century Irish writing.

General Editor's Preface.- Acknowledgements.- Introduction.- PART ONE: ENGLAND REVISITED 'Small Disturbances': England in 1945.- 'After History': Time and Memory in Postwar Writing.- A Literature of Farewell: The Condition of England and the Politics of Elegy.- PART TWO: MAKING NEW MAPS 'Common Ground': Feminist Fictions and the Cultural Politics of Difference.- From Anger to Blasted: Trauma and Social Representation in Contemporary Drama.- English Journeys: Cultural Geographies of Contemporary England.- Conclusion.- Chronology.- Key Concepts and Contexts.- Annotated Bibliography.- Bibliography.- Index.