Unconventional approaches

John Domini, at The Quarterly Conversation, offers the first half of his essay "Against the 'Impossible to Explain': The Postmodern Novel and Society":

In the millennial U.S., for those who venture an unconventional approach to booklength fiction, criticism just hasn’t been doing its job. ...[W]hen American booklength fiction strays from straightforward realism and structure...and when one of the major review outlets gives it attention, the write-up will be vicious. It’ll look as if the author has wandered into Sniper’s Alley. Over half a century ago, Robbe-Grillet’s For a New Novel traced recent developments in the artform, but those trying for similar innovation on this side of the Atlantic have come under repeated attack, in our most prominent critical forums. “Postmodern” sits comfortably with other media, whether a Danger Mouse mashup or Angels in America. But when it comes to novels, the term’s a dirty word, even for a lot of novelists.

This essay follows on the heels of Nick Ripatrazone's engaging essay on William Gass, John Gardner, and "The Pedersen Kid"; I'm really excited by the quality of the work The Quarterly Conversation is publishing lately.