Maximalism in Contemporary American Literature

<p>This book studies the maximalist novels of Wallace Baker Pynchon and others considering how overly-detailed writing serves the institutional emotional and intellectual needs of contemporary readers and writers. It argues that maximalist novels not only exceed perceived limits of style subject matter and scope but strive to remake the usefulness of books in contemporary culture refreshing the act of reading. Drawing on Thing Theory Marxism New Formalism playlists blogs and archival manuscripts the book proposes a new understanding of maximalist writing and a new way of approaching the usefulness of literary objects in contemporary culture. </p>