Will Self and Contemporary British Society [electronic resource] / by Graham Matthews.

Will Self and Contemporary British Society is a detailed and timely study of one of the most popular and controversial literary authors of our time and his engagement with a series of diverse yet interlinked themes. Self is renowned for juxtaposing the fantastic with the quotidian in creative and surprising ways, which has earned him plaudits as one of the most singular and insightful voices in Britain today. In this critical study Self emerges as one of those rare writers whose innovative narrative modes and experimental techniques have resulted in fresh perspectives on some of the most challenging and controversial issues in contemporary British society. Graham J. Matthews reveals Self to be a serious thinker whose novels, short stories, and journalism treat issues that are essential for understanding contemporary Britain: psychiatry and medical discourse; gender and sexuality; urbanism and the illusions of consumer society; satire and the role of literature in society. Will Self and Contemporary British Society captures the continuity as well as the evolution of Self's style to demonstrate that his incisive analyses of the present make him one of the indispensable voices of our time.