States of Exception in the Contemporary Novel Martel, Eugenides, Coetzee, Sebald

"Arne De Boever offers a strikingly consistent and nuanced analysis of four important contemporary novels. His interdisciplinary theoretical approach, which combines present-day political theory with in-depth literary criticism, generates innovative insights. This highly readable book provides convincing and often fascinating interpretations that will be of value to students and scholars of literature as well as critical/political theory." -- Hilde Staels, Associate Professor of English Literature / Literary Theory, University of Leuven, Belgium "One of the most inventive readers of fiction now writing, Arne De Boever discovers in the contemporary novel's dealings with trauma - that which seems too big for ethics - just what the post-9/11 world has been looking for: a wisdom literature that teaches decision-making under conditions of undecidability, when the ordinary ethical rules do not apply. The phrase 'state of exception' has been much used of late, but De Boever's treatment manages to be itself a beautiful exception." -Bruce Robbins, Old Dominion Foundation Professor in the Humanities, Columbia University "With the theoretically informed study of literature being forced more and more in to the margins of literary studies, Arne De Boever's book stands out for its commitment to a rigorous, nuanced and convincing theoretical methodology for interrogating the complex relationships between the aesthetic and political in contemporary literature and culture. The readings of these texts - all focused around the ethics of the aesthetic 'decision' - work to unpick some of our most common assumptions about the political form of the novel in the twenty-first century, making it both essential and challenging reading." -Alex Murray, Lecturer in English, University of Exeter, UK