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Catherine Seltzer
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Understanding Pat Conroy (Understanding Contemporary American Literature) Kindle Edition

by Catherine Seltzer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 42 ratings
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An insightful look at the life and work of the extraordinary popular Southern writer.

Pat Conroy’s novels and memoirs have indelibly shaped the image of the South in the American imagination. His writing has rendered the physical landscape of the South Carolina lowcountry familiar to legions of readers, and has staked out a more complex geography as well—one defined by domestic trauma, racial anxiety, religious uncertainty, and cultural ambivalence.

In Understanding Pat Conroy, Catherine Seltzer engages in a sustained consideration of Conroy and his work. The study begins with a sketch of Conroy’s biography, which, while fascinating in its own right, is employed here to illuminate many of the motifs and characters that define his work and to locate him within southern literary tradition. Seltzer then explores each of Conroy’s major works, tracing the evolution of the themes within and among each of his novels, including The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, and South of Broad, and his memoirs, among them The Water Is Wide and My Losing Season.

Seltzer’s insightful close readings of Conroy’s work are supplemented by interviews and archival material, shedding new light on the often-complex dynamics between text and context in Conroy’s oeuvre. More broadly, Understanding Pat Conroy explores the ways that Conroy delights in troubling the boundaries that circumscribe the literary establishment—and links his work to existing debates about the contemporary American canon.
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  1. Part of series
    Understanding Contemporary American Literature
  2. Print length
    145 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    University of South Carolina Press
  6. Publication date
    April 15, 2015
  7. File size
    951 KB
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  9. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In light of the UCAL goal of guiding and instructing nonacademic readers, Seltzer succeeds admirably. Her opening chapter not only outlines the basic facts of Conroy's life, but also questions the rocky critical reception his works have received."―The Georgia Review

"Catherine Seltzer's elegantly written, sophisticated study carves a vital space for Pat Conroy in the literary canon. As she demonstrates, Conroy's work engages powerfully with the ongoing struggles of individuals trying to come to terms with the ways the South is still viewed as a region defined by strong racial divisions and entrenched patriarchal hierarchies. Ultimately, she makes clear that Conroy is a writer of deep intelligence, passion, and generosity of spirit."―Thomas Fahy, author of Understanding Truman Capote and Staging Modern American Life

"An extremely insightful and well-written study of Conroy and of the autobiographical impulse that has driven the author, demonstrated in his fiction as well as nonfiction. Seltzer makes a case for why this 'popular' writer should be taken seriously by critics and scholars as well."―Fred Hobson, Lineberger Distinguished Professor in the Humanities Emeritus, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

"Pat Conroy is the only writer I know who is as passionate about rage as he is about tenderness, and that is what Catherine Seltzer's excellent book of profoundly insightful essays tells us. The bridge of language between those two emotional poles is the watermark of Pat's extraordinary literature."―Terry Kay, author of To Dance with the White Dog and The Book of Marie

"Catherine Seltzer has managed to thread the needle with a book that will both inform Conroy scholars and delight fans. Free of academic jargon and posturing, Understanding Pat Conroy is full of intelligence and insights that will deepen any reader's comprehension and appreciation of Conroy's works."―Katherine Clark, author of the forthcoming Great Love: Confessions of Pat Conroy

About the Author

Catherine Seltzer, an associate professor of English and women's studies at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, is the author of Elizabeth Spencer's Complicated Cartographies: Reimagining Home, the South, and Southern Literary Production.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00OM3M8C4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of South Carolina Press (April 15, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 15, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 951 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 145 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 42 ratings

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Catherine Seltzer

Catherine Seltzer

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
42 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

FiFi's Mom
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book on Pat Conroy
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
I am the biggest Pat Conroy fan in the world. I mourned his death last year. There will never be another writer like him. This is a wonderful book that I have added to my Pat Conroy library. I am interested in owning as much as is possible about him and written by him. This is a good one to own if you share my interest in this wonderful writer.
2 people found this helpful
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Claire Fullerton
5.0 out of 5 stars You Simply Must Own a Copy of this Book!
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2016
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This book is a must have for all Conroy devotees! Everything you would ever want to know about Conroy, whom I consider an American icon, is presented in this book; it gives you the why's and wherefores behind the literary master in an intimately personal manner. I have often thought of Conroy not only writing, but hearing him say before an audience that the impetus behind his writing was to share his life with people so that they could understand theirs ( which brings me to my knees,) and to read Catherine Seltzer's book takes the reader into this gift all the further. All praise for Catherine Seltzer! Thank you for writing this book!
3 people found this helpful
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Jo Ann Sherbine
5.0 out of 5 stars The Need to (Re-)Read
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2015
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Seltzer's book made me wish I had more recently read Conroy's works. Her analyses of characters and their interactions were intriguing. I lived in South Carolina for over thirty years, and one of my sons graduated from The Citadel shortly before the gender revolution. While Conroy's plotlines draw on his personal experiences, Seltzer opens the lens wide to reveal the influence on him of the geography, the politics, the history, the economy, yes the culture of South Carolina. My bucket list now includes re-reads of Conroy's works with Seltzer's book at my elbow.
14 people found this helpful
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Trekkergrl
3.0 out of 5 stars Need more understanding & less regurgitation
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2015
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A little disappointing. Was expecting more insight into Pat Conroy as a writer, but felt that the vast majority of the book consisted of detailed synopsis of each of his published works. As I had read all of his books, I didn't find anything new in the retelling, except for perhaps a validation of feelings about his growth as a writer/storyteller. I remember thinking when I read the opening pages of "The Prince of Tides" that Pat had finally embrace Beaufort & the Lowcountry and that he truly loved it. I could smell the pluff mud in his descriptive prose. Catherine Seltzer essentially said this was the story where he fully embraces his home. If you haven't read all of his works then this might be the book for you.
5 people found this helpful
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Susan Roberts
4.0 out of 5 stars Pat Conroy
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2015
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I am a major Pat Conroy fan and have read all of his books. I found this book about his books to be very well written and very detailed. I enjoyed reading about his books and what was going on in his life when he wrote them. I have added two of his books (Prince of Tides and Beach Music) to my summer reading list because after reading about them, I realized how much I want to re-read them again this summer. I would highly recommend this to Pat Conroy fans.
10 people found this helpful
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MaryAnn Dodd
5.0 out of 5 stars I have every book written by and about Pat Conroy ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2016
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I have every book written by and about Pat Conroy. I could relate to his "military brat" up bringing. I imagine all "Brats" can.
One person found this helpful
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TMC2005
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource!
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2019
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Book was in excellent condition
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David D Jordan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book.
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2016
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Great book. Inspired me to buy a copy of the DVD "The Great Santini."
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Top reviews from other countries

Judy Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars Who can say?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2020
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A well-written, comprehensive look at Pat Conroy’s life and career. If you imagined him to be similar to the main characters in his autobiographical novels, you may be surprised.
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Peter Fergus
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on March 9, 2016
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Better than anticipated.
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