Richard Powers, The Gold Bug Variations

Martin Kich (Wright State University)

Ed. by Sofia Ahlberg, Uppsala University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1991

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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Powers’ third novel remains both his most admired work and most criticized work. Those who admire the novel find the characters compelling, the narrative stunningly elaborate in its symmetries, and the prose richly and unflaggingly inventive. Those who have criticized the novel have found the characters less interesting than almost all of the other elements of the novel, the narrative structure so complex as to be bewildering, and the prose so self-indulgently dense as to be overwhelming rather than rewarding. Given their substantial length and consistent complexity, it is probably an exaggeration to say that any of Powers’ novels can be read and appreciated in a single, even very extended session. But a work such as

Prisoners’ Dilemma

is certainly much more accessible and easier to…

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1882 words

Citation: Kich, Martin. "The Gold Bug Variations". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 March 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=21624, accessed 28 April 2024.]

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