William Kotzwinkle Criticism
William Kotzwinkle, born in 1938, is a versatile American author known for his eclectic range of novels and children’s books. His diverse body of work spans urban fiction, as demonstrated in The Fan Man, which captures New York’s hippy culture with authentic dialects, to more provocative themes found in Night Book. Kotzwinkle’s literary style often blends elements of fantasy and reality, a technique that is evident in Fata Morgana. This novel elevates the suspense genre by intertwining fairy tale motifs with a detective story, as noted by Hollis Alpert and Jerome Charyn. Despite its imaginative narrative and sensuous order, Phoebe-Lou Adams criticizes it for relying on the clichéd "it was all a dream" trope. Kotzwinkle's Doctor Rat, a satirical animal fable, has been critiqued for its sentimental portrayal of animal suffering and its simplistic moral stance, as highlighted by Richard P. Brickner, Robert Stone, and Anne Larsen. Despite mixed reviews, Kotzwinkle's ability to experiment with different genres and narrative styles marks him as a significant figure in contemporary literature.
Contents
- Kotzwinkle, William (Vol. 5)
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Kotzwinkle, William (Vol. 14)
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Fiction and Poetry: 'Doctor Rat'
(summary)
In the following essay, Richard P. Brickner critiques William Kotzwinkle's novel "Doctor Rat" for its sentimental portrayal of animal suffering and its portrayal of humans as sadistic, arguing that the novel's simplistic moralism and lack of balance render it frivolously radical rather than genuinely insightful.
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Soft in Tooth and Claw
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In the following essay, Robert Stone critiques William Kotzwinkle's novel "Doctor Rat" for its ambitious moral statement against human oppression and cruelty, arguing that the book ultimately fails to achieve its serious intentions due to its contrived and sentimental execution.
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Did Doctor Rat Sell Out?
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In the following essay, Anne Larsen critiques William Kotzwinkle's Doctor Rat as a misguided animal fable that fails to deliver a substantive moral message, criticizing its shallow satire, manipulative emotional appeals, and departure from the allegorical traditions of Aesop and Orwell.
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Mysterious Mirage
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In the following essay, Hollis Alpert argues that William Kotzwinkle elevates the suspense novel by merging elements of fantasy and fairy tale, using Fata Morgana to transcend conventional narratives with imaginative storytelling and vivid depictions of nineteenth-century Paris.
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Conjuring Tricks
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In the following essay, Jerome Charyn analyzes William Kotzwinkle's "Fata Morgana" as a hybrid of detective story and fairy tale, emphasizing its whimsical narrative style and the recurring theme of toys, which depicted alongside humans, contribute to the novel’s imaginative and entertaining quality.
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Books Considered: 'Fata Morgana'
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In the following essay, Roberta Tovey contends that in William Kotzwinkle's Fata Morgana, the narrative's success lies in its cohesive elements and sensuous order, despite an imperfect ending, with Inspector Picard's pursuit of the gypsy Lazare through Paris embodying an ideal literary chase.
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PLA: 'Fata Morgana'
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In the following essay, Phoebe-Lou Adams criticizes William Kotzwinkle's Fata Morgana for undermining its fantasy narrative by revealing it was all a dream, and accuses the climactic scene of being unoriginal, borrowing from an old film.
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Fiction and Poetry: 'Doctor Rat'
(summary)