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The Visual Poetics of Raymond Carver

Ayala Amir

The Visual Poetics of Raymond Carver draws on the study of visual arts to illuminate the short stories of noted author Raymond Carver, in the broader context of vision and visualization in a literary text. Ayala Amir examines Carver's use of the eye-of-the-camera technique. Amir uncovers the tensions that structure his visual aesthetics and examines assumptions that govern scholarly discussions of his work, relating these matters to the complex nature of photography and to the current "visual turn" of cultural studies. The research uses visual approaches to reflect upon traditional issues of narrative study: duration, dialogue, narration, description, frame, character, and meaning. Amir shows how Carver's visual aesthetics shapes the meaning of his stories, while also challenging accepted notions of the boundaries of "the literary."

Lexington Books

Pages: 238 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9½

978-0-7391-3921-9 • Hardback • July 2010 • $128.00 • (£98.00)

978-0-7391-3922-6 • Paperback • December 2011 • $57.99 • (£45.00)

978-0-7391-3923-3 • eBook • July 2010 • $55.00 • (£42.00)

Subjects: Literary Criticism / American / General, Literary Criticism / Books & Reading, Literary Criticism / Reference

The Visual Poetics of Raymond Carver

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

The Visual Poetics of Raymond Carver draws on the study of visual arts to illuminate the short stories of noted author Raymond Carver, in the broader context of vision and visualization in a literary text. Ayala Amir examines Carver's use of the eye-of-the-camera technique. Amir uncovers the tensions that structure his visual aesthetics and examines assumptions that govern scholarly discussions of his work, relating these matters to the complex nature of photography and to the current "visual turn" of cultural studies. The research uses visual approaches to reflect upon traditional issues of narrative study: duration, dialogue, narration, description, frame, character, and meaning. Amir shows how Carver's visual aesthetics shapes the meaning of his stories, while also challenging accepted notions of the boundaries of "the literary."

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 238 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9½

978-0-7391-3921-9 • Hardback • July 2010 • $128.00 • (£98.00)

978-0-7391-3922-6 • Paperback • December 2011 • $57.99 • (£45.00)

978-0-7391-3923-3 • eBook • July 2010 • $55.00 • (£42.00)

Subjects: Literary Criticism / American / General, Literary Criticism / Books & Reading, Literary Criticism / Reference

Author

Ayala Amir is lecturer in the Department of Comparative Literature at Bar-Ilan University, Israel and also teaches at the Open University of Israel.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction
Part 2 Part I. Movement
Chapter 3 Chapter One "I don't do motion shots" - Representation of Movement
Chapter 4 Chapter Two "Does that have a hidden meaning?" - Dialogue
Part 5 Part II. The Eye of the Camera
Chapter 6 Chapter Three "Whoever was using this bed" - Voice
Chapter 7 Chapter Four "Why do I notice that?" - Vision
Part 8 Part III. Seeing and Meaning
Chapter 9 Chapter Five Raymond Carver's "Man in a Case" - frame and Character
Chapter 10 Chapter Six Singularity or Doubleness- Effet de réel or Symbol?
Chapter 11 Conclusion

Reviews

Readers have been aware of Raymond Carver's preoccupation with voyeurism and the visual for decades. Ayala Amir expands our knowledge of these issues by examining the links between the visual in fiction and related fields such as photography and cinema, opening up a whole new, interdisciplinary dimension to Carver's work. The Visual Poetics of Raymond Carver is a very welcome contribution to our understanding of Carver's stories
— Sandra Lee Kleppe, International Raymond Carver Society

This is a terrific book that takes Carver studies in new directions. Ayala Amir's knowledge of both cinema theory and literary theory makes this a book in which the discussion moves seamlessly between these related arts. As I read it, I felt that I was both expanding my knowledge of Carver's work and simultaneously learning photographic theory which, while interesting in its own right, augmented the way I read Carver. Few books offer readers such an experience.
— Robert Miltner, Kent State University

Readers have been aware of Raymond Carver's preoccupation with voyeurism and the visual for decades. Ayala Amir expands our knowledge of these issues by examining the links between the visual in fiction and related fields such as photography and cinema, opening up a whole new, interdisciplinary dimension to Carver's work. The Visual Poetics of Raymond Carver is a very welcome contribution to our understanding of Carver's stories
— Sandra Lee Kleppe, International Raymond Carver Society

Recommended.
— Choice Reviews

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