Postmodern literary theorists Fredric Jameson and Linda Hutcheon have commented radically on the cultural work of contemporary narrative, with the former emphasizing ahistorical pastiche and
the latter stressing politicized parody as defining tropes of postmodernism. Duvall (English, Purdue U.) presents 10 contributions that explore the space opened by their disagreement as
evidenced in works of literature, film, and architecture. Among the topics covered are the architecture of the city in Ridley Scott's Bladerunner , the confluence of historical narratives in
Don DeLillo's Libra , Toni Morrison's Beloved as an example of postmodern African American social protest, and utopian impulses in the architecture of casinos. Annotation c. Book News, Inc.,
Portland, OR (booknews.com)
