John Cheever

This work provides broad coverage of John Cheever's work, with seven essays written for this collection and 12 previous published essays (five of the 12 have been published since 1994, and only 2 of the 12 have been previously reprinted or excerpted). The first part of the book contains biographical background and a brief essay outlining his influence and significance, representing the perspective of The Paris Review literary magazine. The rest of the book presents essays on critical contexts and critical readings, exploring Cheever's major themes, such as suburban life and commercialism, in the context of 1950s conformity and the crisis of masculinity. One essay provides a book-by-book analysis of reviewers' assessments of Cheever's work. Other subjects explored are the lyrical structure of Cheever's fiction and Cheever's brother stories. The book includes a chronology and a list of his works. Morace teaches English at Daemen College Annotation 穢2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)