The Neon Wilderness (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Nelson Algren
- First Published: 1947
- Type of Work: Short stories
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: United States or Americans, Suicide, Crime or criminals, Twentieth century, Prostitution or prostitutes, Poverty or poor people, Lower classes, Drug addiction or addicts, Urban life
With The Neon Wilderness, Algren emerged as a mature and original spokesman for a whole class of people usually excluded from literature except as marginal and stereotyped caricatures. In place of the condescending tone of most writing about the poor, Algren demonstrates the compassion of a man determined to live up to the people he is writing about. The stories bristle with many of Algren's characteristic thematic and stylistic concerns. The more focused short-story form undermines his didactic, Communist streak, and though there are times when Algren sentimentalizes his...
[The entire page is 832 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
See Also
