John Barth Criticism
John Barth, a notable figure in American literature, is recognized for his innovative use of parody, satire, and metafiction. His work critically examines social and literary conventions, challenging traditional narratives through a sophisticated blend of language and style. Barth's engagement with literary theory and myth is evident in his narratives, where he deconstructs established literary concepts such as the hero archetype. In his novel The Floating Opera, Barth explores absurdities of consciousness and reality, a theme that continues in works like Lost in the Funhouse and Chimera, pairing linguistic wit with reflections on death, sexuality, and the human psyche, a comparison analyzed in this essay.
Barth's Lost in the Funhouse is a significant work in postmodern literature, renowned for its unconventional structure and metafictional techniques. The collection is a reflection of Barth's "The Literature of Exhaustion," where he argues for narrative innovation within the constraints of literary conventions. This is explored through the interrelated stories that comprise the collection, as they delve into themes of maturation and artistic journey, notably through the recurring character Ambrose Mensch. David Morrell critiques Barth's interest in new media and oral narrative, while Jac Tharpe and Charles B. Harris examine his engagement with Joseph Campbell's heroism and the complexities of sex and language.
Barth's fascination with myth and classical literature is further exemplified in his infusion of epic traditions within his work. The Möbius strip structure of "Frame-Tale" in Lost in the Funhouse metaphorically represents the collection's cyclical nature, an idea explored by Victor J. Vitanza and E. P. Walkiewicz. Despite its complexity, the collection's narrative voice and self-reflexivity offer a hopeful critique of exhausted literary forms, as noted by Deborah Woolley, Jan Gorak, and Zack Bowen.
Beyond short stories, Barth's novels like Giles Goat-Boy and Letters exhibit his mastery of Menippean satire and metafiction. In Giles Goat-Boy, Barth critiques intellectual and societal divides, as highlighted by James F. Walter. However, Robert Martin Adams notes that Barth's emphasis on narrative techniques sometimes overshadows character development. In Letters and Sabbatical, Barth further explores narrative innovation, with Sabbatical offering a metafictional twist as characters engage in writing the narrative consumed by the reader, a structure critiqued by Charlotte Renner and James Wolcott for its philosophical depth and complexity.
Contents
- Principal Works
-
Barth, John (Simmons)
-
John Barth: Sailing Inner Waters
(summary)
In the following essay, Charles Trueheart examines John Barth's novel Sabbatical as a self-reflective narrative that explores themes of storytelling, reality versus illusion, familial relationships, and the search for meaning through the experiences of a couple on a sabbatical journey.
-
Straw Dogs
(summary)
In the following essay, Wolcott critiques John Barth's novel Sabbatical for its superficial treatment of serious themes, arguing that its clever language and chaotic narrative fail to address the profound existential questions it raises, reducing it instead to a spectacle of literary exhibitionism.
-
A Metaphoric Novel of the Sea
(summary)
In the following essay, Michael Wood critiques John Barth's novel "Sabbatical" for its heavy-handed metaphors and attempts at grander meanings, arguing that while the story and its characters are engaging, the novel's allegorical ambitions detract from its narrative coherence.
-
Getting Pooped Aboard the Ship of Story
(summary)
In the following essay, Lorna Sage critiques John Barth's novel Sabbatical, suggesting that Barth's writing has become emblematic of "Old Poop" literature—self-aware, introspective, and preoccupied with survival rather than innovation, as it clings to familiar narrative structures and themes rather than embracing new creative possibilities.
-
Sabbatical: A Romance
(summary)
In the following essay, Charlotte Renner analyzes John Barth's novel "Sabbatical: A Romance," arguing that the work's exploration of twinship and narrative structure, while philosophically intriguing, may ultimately undermine its execution, as it questions the necessity of dual narrators and posits the novel as a metaphorical autobiography.
-
Playing
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert Taubman critiques John Barth's Sabbatical as a postmodernist novel that skillfully blends realism with fantasy to explore complex themes of love, literary imagination, and the fantastical nature of reality, ultimately suggesting that its playful tone may detract from the seriousness of its darker elements.
-
Minors from Majors: 'Sabbatical'
(summary)
In the following essay, Doug Bolling explores how John Barth's novel Sabbatical continues Barth's engagement with postmodern themes and narrative techniques, highlighting the novel's examination of the interaction between writer, text, and reader, and its reflection on romance and reality within the framework of contemporary American culture.
-
John Barth: Sailing Inner Waters
(summary)
- Barth, John (Vol. 1)
- Barth, John (Vol. 5)
- Barth, John (Vol. 9)
- Barth, John (Vol. 7)
-
Barth, John
-
John Barth's Artist in the Funhouse
(summary)
In the following essay, a small portion of which was included in CLC-3, he discusses the story sequence of Lost in the Funhouse as demonstrative of a Künstlerroman.
-
Seams in the Seamless University
(summary)
Tharpe offers a stylistic and thematic analysis of Lost in the Funhouse, noting that despite its disconcerting form and content, it generally presents the pattern of the life of the traditional hero. He discusses how Barth's reading of Joseph Campbell influenced his understanding of heroism in the context of Western culture.
-
Ambrose Is Lost in the Funhouse
(summary)
In the essay below, Morrell discusses those stories in Lost in the Funhouse originally written for tape or live performance. He maintains that although the nonprint media stimulated Barth's interest in oral narrative, Barth ultimately relies on text-based innovations to rejuvenate contemporary fiction.
-
The Novelist as Topologist: John Barth's Lost in the Funhouse
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Vitanza analyzes the properties of the Möbius strip from "Frame-Tale," arguing that the story contains the framework for the entire collection and supports Barth's attempt to generate new meaning out of exhausted literary forms and themes.
-
'A Continuing, Strange Love Letter': Sex and Language in Lost in the Funhouse
(summary)
Harris is an American educator and critic who specializes in modern American literature. In the following excerpt, he analyzes the relationship between sex and language in Lost in the Funhouse.
-
Empty 'Text,' Fecund Voice: Self-Reflexivity in Barth's Lost in the Funhouse
(summary)
In the excerpt below, Woolley argues that self-consciousness in Lost in the Funhouse presents an affirmative interpretation of narrative reflexivity.
-
Water-Message
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Walkiewicz maintains that the Möbius strip 'Frame-Tale,' which opens Lost in the Funhouse, serves as an analogy for the entire collection, which cycles back to its beginning in the final story, 'Anonymiad.'
-
The Nihilist Deus Artifex: The Short Fiction of John Barth
(summary)
In the following excerpt, he examines Barth's focus on the individual in a godless world in Lost in the Funhouse.
-
Who Gets Lost in the Funhouse
(summary)
In the essay below, Slaughter discusses the subject-object relationship as presented in Lost in the Funhouse from a Cartesian-Kantian perspective, asserting that Barth moves beyond the paralyzing postmodern concern with epistemology to propose narrative as a source of meaning.
-
Funhouse Reflexes: Lost in the Funhouse
(summary)
In the following essay, he argues that in Lost in the Funhouse Barth associates the problems of identity with the difficulties of composing fiction, identifying the maturation of the protagonist—in all his various guises—with the development of the collection's story line and major themes.
-
John Barth's Artist in the Funhouse
(summary)
-
Barth, John (Vol. 10)
-
'The Floating Opera' and 'Second Skin'
(summary)
In the following essay, John Hawkes contrasts his and John Barth's approaches to fiction, emphasizing Barth's masterful use of language and wit in exploring the absurdities of consciousness and reality, particularly in his novel "The Floating Opera," drawing parallels with Hawkes's own work "Second Skin," both of which tackle themes of death, sexuality, and the human psyche.
-
A Psychology of Lust in the Menippean Tradition: 'Giles Goat-Boy'
(summary)
In the following essay, James F. Walter explores John Barth's use of Menippean satire in Giles Goat-Boy to critique modern intellectual and societal schisms, emphasizing the protagonist's journey towards stoic wisdom and the necessity of integrating feminine and masculine elements within the self for imaginative and spiritual maturity.
-
Robert Martin Adams
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert Martin Adams critiques John Barth's use of mythology and language in works such as Lost in the Funhouse and Chimera, arguing that Barth's emphasis on self-conscious narrative techniques and stylistic playfulness often results in a lack of depth and character development.
-
'The Floating Opera' and 'Second Skin'
(summary)
-
Barth, John (Vol. 14)
-
The Anti-Novels of John Barth
(summary)
In the following essay, Beverly Gross argues that John Barth's novels are characterized by their paradoxical nature, blending humor and nihilism, and ultimately challenging and undermining the traditional narrative form, as Barth explores themes of meaninglessness, identity, and the futility of storytelling.
-
American Plastic: The Matter of Fiction
(summary)
In the following essay, Gore Vidal critiques John Barth's literary style, labeling his novels as overly academic and lacking in originality, while suggesting that Barth's focus on university culture and Greek myth results in narratives that fail to resonate with broader audiences and suffer from uninspired writing.
-
Teller, Tale, Told: Relationships in John Barth's Latest Fiction
(summary)
In the following essay, Westervelt analyzes John Barth's exploration of self-consciousness and identity in his fiction, highlighting how he engages readers by intertwining narrative techniques and themes of existential reflection in works like "Lost in the Funhouse" and "Chimera," while also emphasizing the complex dynamics between author, narrator, and reader.
-
Barth and Barthelme Recycle the Perseus Myth: A Study in Literary Ecology
(summary)
In the following essay, Joe Weixlmann and Sher Weixlmann explore how John Barth's novella "Perseid" employs intricate framing and baroque plotting to engage with themes of artifice and reality, reflecting on mythological motifs and narrative structure to provoke philosophical insights and maintain literary tradition.
-
Yours Sincerely, John Barth
(summary)
In the following essay, Tony Tanner explores John Barth's novel "Letters," highlighting Barth's exploration of the past to create new narratives through themes such as reenactment and revolution, and noting Barth's unique approach to fiction that combines realism with his signature imaginative flair.
-
Long Letters, Lost Liberty, Languid Love: Barth's Mail
(summary)
In the following essay, Geoffrey Wolff critiques John Barth's novel Letters as an intricate but ultimately flawed work, arguing that its elaborate self-referential structure and lack of narrative energy result in a tedious reading experience, lacking the humor and vitality seen in Barth's earlier works.
-
Letters from Incongruent Worlds
(summary)
In the following essay, Philip Stevick examines John Barth's novel Letters, illustrating how it creatively intertwines characters from Barth's previous works, challenges the traditional epistolary form, and ambitiously explores intersecting perspectives and histories, though he argues the novel's complexity may overburden its imaginative characters.
-
Barth Reviewed
(summary)
In the following essay, Frank McConnell examines John Barth's novel Letters, arguing that it confronts the self-conscious nature of modern fiction by exploring the paradoxes of storytelling and mythmaking, ultimately presenting a narrative that challenges and redefines the boundaries of traditional literary forms.
-
Six Novels in Search of a Novelist
(summary)
In the following essay, Benjamin DeMott critiques John Barth's Letters for its ambitious yet challenging narrative structure and thematic exploration of fictionality, suggesting that while the novel may be difficult and sometimes frustrating, it is a thought-provoking examination of reality and fiction's boundaries, warranting continued engagement.
-
Books and the Arts: 'Letters: A Novel'
(summary)
In the following essay, Josephine Hendin argues that John Barth's novel Letters represents an ambitious exploration of the derangements of art and culture, depicting the author's struggle with self-referentiality and artistic ambition while revealing the limitations of such an insular vision.
-
The Anti-Novels of John Barth
(summary)
- Further Reading