Sport and the Literary Imagination: Essays in History, Literature, and SportThe development of sport in the twentieth century has been examined from a variety of angles. Rarely, though, has the work of the creative writer been considered in detail. This book directs its attention to this neglected area, examining a selection of novels in which the subject of sport has featured prominently. It highlights the ways in which novelists in the second half of the twentieth century have approached sport, explained its place in society, and through the sporting subject constructed a critique of the historical circumstances in which their narrative is set. The study therefore seeks to complement the increasing body of work on the representation of sport through such media as film, television, and autobiography. It also brings a fresh dimension to the use made by historians of literary sources, suggesting that creative fiction can be far more valuable as historical evidence than has customarily been acknowledged. |
Common terms and phrases
Akiva American Arsenal Association Football athletic Australian Bascombe Bascombe's baseball Black Sox Scandal boxing Brian Brian Glanville Britain British Champion character club contemporary context Cricket critical Culture David David Beckham Delaney Delaney's early England English example fans Fever Pitch fiction film gender Glanville Glanville's Grail Guardian Review hero historians hooliganism Hornby Hornby's Howard Jacobson identity immigrants Jacobson Jewish Jews John Journal Kabbels Kabbelski kailyard Keele University Kelly Kelly's Keneally Lardner Lindsay Anderson literary literature London Machin male Manchester University Press Manny Farber Marwick masculinity match Midge Modern moral narrative novel Oliver Oliver's organised Penguin Books Philip Roth play players political relationship representation Richard Robin Jenkins Routledge Rudi rugby league says Scotland Scottish sense soccer social society spectators Sport History Sport Journal sportswriter Storey's story success table tennis theme Thistle tradition twentieth century Walzer winning working-class writing