This collection of critical essays on the American novelist Bret Easton Ellis examines the novels of his mature period: American Psycho (1991), Glamorama (1999), and Lunar Park (2005). Taking as its starting-point American Psycho's seismic impact on contemporary literature and culture, the volume establishes Ellis' centrality to the scholarship and teaching of contemporary American literature in the U.S. and in Europe. Contributors examine the alchemy of acclaim and disdain that accrues to this controversial writer, provide an overview of growing critical material on Ellis and review the literary and artistic significance of his recent work. Exploring key issues including violence, literature, reality, reading, identity, genre, and gender, the contributors together provide a critical re-evaluation of Ellis, exploring how he has impacted, challenged, and transformed contemporary literature in the U.S. and abroad.

Series Preface \ Introduction \ Part I: American Psycho (1991) \ Introduction \ 1. Violence, Ethics, and the Rhetoric of Decorum in American Psycho, Michael P. Clark (University of California, Irvine, USA) \ 2. American Psycho, Hamlet, and Existential Psychosis, Alex E. Blazer (Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, USA) \ 3. 'The Soul of this Man is His Clothes': Violence and Fashion in American Psycho, Elana Gomel (Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Israel) \ Part II: Glamorama (1999) \ Introduction \ 4. "'It's Really Me': Intermediality and Constructed Identities in Glamorama", Sonia Baelo-Allué (Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain) \ 5. The Unusual Suspects: Celebrity, Conspiracy, and Objective Violence in Glamorama, David Schmid (University at Buffalo, USA) \ 6. "Merely Political": Glam Terrorism and Celebrity Politics in Bret Easton Ellis' Glamorama, Arthur Redding (York University, Toronto, Canada) \ Part III: Lunar Park (2005) \ Introduction \ 7. "An awfully good impression": truth and testimony in Lunar Park, Jeff Karnicky (Drake University, Des Moines, USA) \ 8. What's in a name? Double exposures in Lunar Park, Henrik Skov Nielsen (Aarhus University, Denmark) \ 9. Brand Ellis: celebrity authorship in Lunar Park, James Annesley (University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK) \ Further Reading \ Notes on Contributors \
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