The White Man's Guide to White Male Writers of the Western Canon

Dana Schwartz, Jason Adam Katzenstein

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Paperback

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English

HARPER360
13 November 2019

Fiction & Literature; Parodies & spoofs

How do you use ‘taraddidle’ in a sentence Is it possible to make a Gin Ricky that’s also a metaphor for the American Dream How can you tell your Faulkner from your Franzen if you haven’t actually read either

Allow me, the @GuyInYourMFA, to expound on the most important (aka white male) writers of western literature. You’ve probably seen me around, observing the masses, or defying the wind by hand-rolling a cigarette outside a local, fair-trade coffeeshop. I’ve actually read Infinite Jest 9 1/2 times. Care to discuss

From Shakespeare's greatest mystery (how could a working-class man without access to an MFA program be so prolific) to the true meaning of Kafkaesque (you know you've made it when you have an adjective named for you), the pages herewith are at once profound and practical. Use my ingenious Venn diagram to test your knowledge of which Jonathan—Franzen, Lethem, or Safran Foer—hates Twitter and lives in Brooklyn. (Trick question: all 3!) Sneer at chick-lit and drink Mojitos like Hemingway (not like middle-aged divorcées!).

So instead of politely nodding along next time you make an acquaintance at a housewarming party in Brooklyn, you can roll up your sleeves and get to work schooling them in character arcs and the experimental form of your next great American novel. Dazzle your friends with how well you understand post-modernism. You’ll be at a literary event asking a question “that’s really more of a comment” in no time.

By: Dana Schwartz, Jason Adam Katzenstein
Imprint: HARPER360
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 135mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 200g
ISBN: 9780062867872
ISBN 10: 0062867873
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 13 November 2019
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jason Adam Katzenstein is a cartoonist and writer for print and television. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, the New York Times and MAD Magazine, and on Cartoon Network. He is the illustrator of The White Man's Guide to White Male Writers of the Western Canon and the graphic novel Camp Midnight. He is also a visiting professor at Wesleyan University.

Reviews for The White Man's Guide to White Male Writers of the Western Canon

Schwartz gives her most famous creation, the Twitter parody account @GuyInYourMFA, free reign to speak his opinion in this hilarious book, cathartic for anyone who's ever taken an English class. With characteristic conceitedness (which, of course, he'd deny he has), @GuyinYourMFA goes over the white male writers who have dominated curricula for all too long. - Refinery 29