{"product_id":"9781474282611","title":"Contemporary Fictions of Attention : Reading and Distraction in the Twenty-First Century","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eContemporary Fictions of Attention\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Alice Bennett\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith the supposed shortening of our attention spans, what future is there for fiction in the age of the internet?\u003ci\u003e Contemporary Fictions of Attention\u003c\/i\u003e rejects this discourse of distraction-crisis which suggests that the future of reading is in peril, and instead finds that contemporary writers construct 'fictions of attention' that find some value in states or moments of inattention. Through discussion of work by a diverse selection of writers, including Joshua Cohen, Ben Lerner, Tom McCarthy, Ali Smith, Zadie Smith, and David Foster Wallace, this book identifies how fiction prompts readers to become peripherally aware of their own attention. \u003ci\u003eContemporary Fictions of Attention\u003c\/i\u003e locates a common interest in attention within 21st-century fiction and connects this interest to a series of debates surrounding ethics, temporality, the everyday, boredom, work, and self-discipline in contemporary culture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e“In her careful readings of works (nonfiction as well as fiction) by David Foster Wallace, Joshua Cohen, Ali Smith, Tom McCarthy, Zadie Smith, and Ben Lerner, Bennett identifies the stylistic techniques and broad array of topics that these authors have employed to highlight attention itself as a major subject in contemporary letters. Ideally, readers will leave this book with a renewed interest in these authors, as well as a respect for the importance of paying attention to attention in reading practices. Summing Up: Highly recommended.” - \u003ci\u003eCHOICE\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781474282611\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40683163222222,"sku":"9781474282611","price":130.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_d5283687-e8a3-4730-b748-e5c0c4ddb998.jpg?v=1640144567","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781474282611","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}