CRITIQUE: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, June 22nd, 1996
John Hawkes's novel 'Whistlejacket' deconstructs traditional concepts of genre by rendering indeterminate crucial elements of plot, character, theme, setting, and structure. Hawkes puts these elements under erasure through his use of play throughout the novel, which allows him to construct a narrative without a centered structure. Without belonging to any of them, this postmodern novel playfully parodies and evokes other literary genres, including detective, country-house, and historical novels, as well as autobiography and pornography.
It is usual, and perhaps inevitable, that readers of lit...
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