John Barth
Encyclopedia
John Simmons Barth is an American novelist and short-story writer, known for the postmodernist
and metafictive
quality of his work.
. Barth has an older brother, Bill, and a twin sister, Jill. He briefly studied "Elementary Theory and Advanced Orchestration" at Juilliard before attending Johns Hopkins University
, from which he received a B.A. in 1951 and an M.A. in 1952 (for which he wrote a thesis novel, The Shirt of Nessus
).
Barth was a professor at The Pennsylvania State University from 1953 to 1965. During the "American high Sixties," he moved to teach at SUNY/Buffalo
from 1965 to 1973. In that period he came to know "the remarkable short fiction" of the Argentine Jorge Luis Borges
, which inspired his collection Lost in the Funhouse
.
He then taught at Boston University
(visiting professor, 1972–73) and Johns Hopkins University
(1973–95) before retiring in 1995.
and The End of the Road
, two short "realist" novels that deal wittily with controversial topics, suicide
and abortion
respectively. They are straightforward realistic
tales; as Barth later remarked, they "didn't know they were novels."
The Sot-Weed Factor
(1960), was initially intended as the completing novel of a trilogy comprising his first two "realist" novels, but, as a consequence of Barth's maturation as a writer, it developed into a different project. The novel is significant as it marked Barth's discovery of Postmodernism
.
Barth's next novel, Giles Goat-Boy
(about 800 pages), is a speculative fiction based on the conceit of the university as universe. A boy raised as a goat discovers his humanity and becomes a savior in a story presented as a computer tape given to Barth, who denies that it is his work. In the course of the novel Giles carries out all the tasks prescribed by Joseph Campbell
in The Hero with a Thousand Faces
. Barth kept a list of the tasks taped to his wall while he was writing the book.
The short story collection Lost in the Funhouse
and the novella collection Chimera
, the latter of which won the National Book Award
, are even more metafiction
al than their two predecessors, foregrounding the writing process and presenting achievements such as a seven-deep nested quotation. In LETTERS
Barth and his first six books' characters interact.
His 1994 Once upon a Time: A Floating Opera, reuses stock character
s, stock situations and formulas.
typical of postmodernism. He said: "I don't know what my view of history is, but insofar as it involves some allowance for repetition and recurrence, reorchestration, and reprise [...] I would always want it to be more in the form of a thing circling out and out and becoming more inclusive each time." In Barth's postmodern sensibility, parody
is a central device.
Around 1972, in an interview, Barth declared that "The process [of making a novel] is the content, more or less."
Barth's fiction continues to maintain a precarious balance between postmodern self-consciousness and wordplay and the sympathetic characterization and "page-turning" plotting commonly associated with more traditional genres and subgenres of classic and contemporary storytelling.
In 1967 he wrote a highly influential and to some controversial essay considered a manifesto of postmodernism, The Literature of Exhaustion
(first printed in The Atlantic, 1967). It depicts literary realism
as a “used-up” tradition; Barth's description of his own work, which many thought illustrated a core trait of postmodernism, is “novels which imitate the form of a novel, by an author who imitates the role of author”.
The essay was widely considered a statement of "the death of the novel," (compare with Roland Barthes
's "The Death of the Author"). Barth has since insisted that he was merely making clear that a particular stage in history was passing, and pointing to possible directions from there. He later (1980) wrote a follow-up essay, "The Literature of Replenishment", to clarify the point.
Postmodern literature
The term Postmodern literature is used to describe certain characteristics of post–World War II literature and a reaction against Enlightenment ideas implicit in Modernist literature.Postmodern literature, like postmodernism as a whole, is hard to define and there is little agreement on the exact...
and metafictive
Metafiction
Metafiction, also known as Romantic irony in the context of Romantic works of literature, is a type of fiction that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction, exposing the fictional illusion...
quality of his work.
Life
John Barth, called "Jack," was born in Cambridge, MarylandCambridge, Maryland
Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 12,326 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dorchester County and the county's largest municipality...
. Barth has an older brother, Bill, and a twin sister, Jill. He briefly studied "Elementary Theory and Advanced Orchestration" at Juilliard before attending Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, from which he received a B.A. in 1951 and an M.A. in 1952 (for which he wrote a thesis novel, The Shirt of Nessus
The Shirt of Nessus
The Shirt of Nessus, Tunic of Nessus, Nessus-robe, or Nessus' shirt in Greek mythology was the poisoned shirt that killed Heracles. It was once a popular reference in literature...
).
Barth was a professor at The Pennsylvania State University from 1953 to 1965. During the "American high Sixties," he moved to teach at SUNY/Buffalo
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo or UB, is a public research university and a "University Center" in the State University of New York system. The university was founded by Millard Fillmore in 1846. UB has multiple campuses...
from 1965 to 1973. In that period he came to know "the remarkable short fiction" of the Argentine Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
, which inspired his collection Lost in the Funhouse
Lost in the Funhouse
Lost in the Funhouse is a collection of loosely connected short stories that was originally published by John Barth in 1968. These postmodern stories examine the art of fiction writing, among other things, and seem to undermine the conventional and predictable nature of fiction...
.
He then taught at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
(visiting professor, 1972–73) and Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
(1973–95) before retiring in 1995.
Literary work
Barth began his career with The Floating OperaThe Floating Opera
The Floating Opera is a 1956 novel by the American writer John Barth. It chronicles one day in the life of Todd Andrews, a day on which he makes a very important decision. It was Barth's first novel....
and The End of the Road
The End of the Road
The End of the Road is a 1958 novel by the American writer John Barth. Its story follows Jacob Horner as he deals with an extreme case of psychological paralysis...
, two short "realist" novels that deal wittily with controversial topics, suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
and abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
respectively. They are straightforward realistic
Literary realism
Literary realism most often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors in various countries, towards depictions of contemporary life and society "as they were." In the spirit of...
tales; as Barth later remarked, they "didn't know they were novels."
The Sot-Weed Factor
The Sot-Weed Factor
The Sot-Weed Factor is a 1960 novel by the American writer John Barth, which marks Barth's discovery of Postmodernism.-Plot:The novel is a satirical epic of the colonization of Maryland based on the life of an actual poet, Ebenezer Cooke, who wrote a poem of the same title...
(1960), was initially intended as the completing novel of a trilogy comprising his first two "realist" novels, but, as a consequence of Barth's maturation as a writer, it developed into a different project. The novel is significant as it marked Barth's discovery of Postmodernism
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
.
Barth's next novel, Giles Goat-Boy
Giles Goat-Boy
Giles Goat-Boy is a 1966 novel by the American writer John Barth. It is a satire and allegory of the American campus culture of the time. In 2001, Barth told Michael Silverblatt on KCRW's Bookworm that while he wrote the novel thinking the name 'Giles' was pronounced with "a hard 'G'.....
(about 800 pages), is a speculative fiction based on the conceit of the university as universe. A boy raised as a goat discovers his humanity and becomes a savior in a story presented as a computer tape given to Barth, who denies that it is his work. In the course of the novel Giles carries out all the tasks prescribed by Joseph Campbell
Joseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
in The Hero with a Thousand Faces
The Hero with a Thousand Faces
The Hero with a Thousand Faces is a non-fiction book, and seminal work of comparative mythology by Joseph Campbell...
. Barth kept a list of the tasks taped to his wall while he was writing the book.
The short story collection Lost in the Funhouse
Lost in the Funhouse
Lost in the Funhouse is a collection of loosely connected short stories that was originally published by John Barth in 1968. These postmodern stories examine the art of fiction writing, among other things, and seem to undermine the conventional and predictable nature of fiction...
and the novella collection Chimera
Chimera (John Barth novel)
Chimera is a 1972 novel by the American writer John Barth, composed of three loosely connected novellas. The novellas are Dunyazadiad, Perseid and Bellerophoniad, the titles of which eponymously refer to the mythical characters Dunyazad, Perseus and Bellerophon, the last of whom slew the Chimera...
, the latter of which won the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
, are even more metafiction
Metafiction
Metafiction, also known as Romantic irony in the context of Romantic works of literature, is a type of fiction that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction, exposing the fictional illusion...
al than their two predecessors, foregrounding the writing process and presenting achievements such as a seven-deep nested quotation. In LETTERS
LETTERS (novel)
LETTERS is an epistolary novel by the American writer John Barth, published in 1979. It consists of a series of letters in which Barth and the characters of his other books interact....
Barth and his first six books' characters interact.
His 1994 Once upon a Time: A Floating Opera, reuses stock character
Stock character
A Stock character is a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype. Stock characters rely heavily on cultural types or names for their personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. In their most general form, stock characters are related to literary archetypes,...
s, stock situations and formulas.
Styles, approaches and artistic criteria
Barth's work is characterized by a historical awareness of literary tradition and by the practice of rewritingReprise
Reprise is a fundamental device in the history of art. In literature, a reprise consists of the rewriting of another work; in music, a reprise is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the...
typical of postmodernism. He said: "I don't know what my view of history is, but insofar as it involves some allowance for repetition and recurrence, reorchestration, and reprise [...] I would always want it to be more in the form of a thing circling out and out and becoming more inclusive each time." In Barth's postmodern sensibility, parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
is a central device.
Around 1972, in an interview, Barth declared that "The process [of making a novel] is the content, more or less."
Barth's fiction continues to maintain a precarious balance between postmodern self-consciousness and wordplay and the sympathetic characterization and "page-turning" plotting commonly associated with more traditional genres and subgenres of classic and contemporary storytelling.
Essays
While writing these books, Barth was also pondering and discussing the theoretical problems of fiction writing.In 1967 he wrote a highly influential and to some controversial essay considered a manifesto of postmodernism, The Literature of Exhaustion
The Literature of Exhaustion
The Literature of Exhaustion is an influential 1967 essay by american novelist John Barth, which is sometimes considered to be the manifesto of postmodernism.The essay was highly influential, and for some, controversial...
(first printed in The Atlantic, 1967). It depicts literary realism
Literary realism
Literary realism most often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors in various countries, towards depictions of contemporary life and society "as they were." In the spirit of...
as a “used-up” tradition; Barth's description of his own work, which many thought illustrated a core trait of postmodernism, is “novels which imitate the form of a novel, by an author who imitates the role of author”.
The essay was widely considered a statement of "the death of the novel," (compare with Roland Barthes
Roland Barthes
Roland Gérard Barthes was a French literary theorist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician. Barthes' ideas explored a diverse range of fields and he influenced the development of schools of theory including structuralism, semiotics, existentialism, social theory, Marxism, anthropology and...
's "The Death of the Author"). Barth has since insisted that he was merely making clear that a particular stage in history was passing, and pointing to possible directions from there. He later (1980) wrote a follow-up essay, "The Literature of Replenishment", to clarify the point.
Awards
- 1956 — Nominated for the National Book AwardNational Book AwardThe National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
for The Floating Opera. - 1966 — National Institute of Arts and Letters grant in literature.
- 1965 — The Brandeis UniversityBrandeis UniversityBrandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
creative arts award in fiction. - 1965-66 — The Rockefeller FoundationRockefeller FoundationThe Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
grant in fiction. - 1968 — Nominated for the National Book Award for Lost in the FunhouseLost in the FunhouseLost in the Funhouse is a collection of loosely connected short stories that was originally published by John Barth in 1968. These postmodern stories examine the art of fiction writing, among other things, and seem to undermine the conventional and predictable nature of fiction...
. - 1973 — Awarded the National Book Award for ChimeraChimera (John Barth novel)Chimera is a 1972 novel by the American writer John Barth, composed of three loosely connected novellas. The novellas are Dunyazadiad, Perseid and Bellerophoniad, the titles of which eponymously refer to the mythical characters Dunyazad, Perseus and Bellerophon, the last of whom slew the Chimera...
. - 1974 — Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
- 1974 — Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. - 1997 — F. Scott FitzgeraldF. Scott FitzgeraldFrancis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
Award for Outstanding Achievement in American Fiction. - 1998 — Lannan Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.
- 1998 — PEN/Malamud AwardPEN/Malamud AwardThe PEN/Malamud Award and Memorial Reading honors "excellence in the art of the short story", and is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation. The selection committee is composed of PEN/Faulkner directors and representatives of Bernard Malamud's literary executors.The award was first given...
for Excellence in the Short Story. - 1999 — Enoch PrattEnoch PrattEnoch Pratt was an American businessman in Baltimore, Maryland, a Unitarian, and a philanthropist.-Biography:...
Society's Lifetime Achievement in Letters Award. - 2008 — Roozi Rozegari, Iranian literature prize for best foreign work translationThe Floating OperaThe Floating OperaThe Floating Opera is a 1956 novel by the American writer John Barth. It chronicles one day in the life of Todd Andrews, a day on which he makes a very important decision. It was Barth's first novel....
. (For details see the external links)
Fiction
- The Floating OperaThe Floating OperaThe Floating Opera is a 1956 novel by the American writer John Barth. It chronicles one day in the life of Todd Andrews, a day on which he makes a very important decision. It was Barth's first novel....
(1956) - The End of the RoadThe End of the RoadThe End of the Road is a 1958 novel by the American writer John Barth. Its story follows Jacob Horner as he deals with an extreme case of psychological paralysis...
(1958) - The Sot-Weed FactorThe Sot-Weed FactorThe Sot-Weed Factor is a 1960 novel by the American writer John Barth, which marks Barth's discovery of Postmodernism.-Plot:The novel is a satirical epic of the colonization of Maryland based on the life of an actual poet, Ebenezer Cooke, who wrote a poem of the same title...
(1960) - Giles Goat-Boy, or, The Revised New SyllabusGiles Goat-BoyGiles Goat-Boy is a 1966 novel by the American writer John Barth. It is a satire and allegory of the American campus culture of the time. In 2001, Barth told Michael Silverblatt on KCRW's Bookworm that while he wrote the novel thinking the name 'Giles' was pronounced with "a hard 'G'.....
(1966) - Lost in the FunhouseLost in the FunhouseLost in the Funhouse is a collection of loosely connected short stories that was originally published by John Barth in 1968. These postmodern stories examine the art of fiction writing, among other things, and seem to undermine the conventional and predictable nature of fiction...
: Fiction for Print, Tape, Live Voice (stories) (1968) - ChimeraChimera (John Barth novel)Chimera is a 1972 novel by the American writer John Barth, composed of three loosely connected novellas. The novellas are Dunyazadiad, Perseid and Bellerophoniad, the titles of which eponymously refer to the mythical characters Dunyazad, Perseus and Bellerophon, the last of whom slew the Chimera...
(three linked novellas) (1972) - LETTERSLETTERS (novel)LETTERS is an epistolary novel by the American writer John Barth, published in 1979. It consists of a series of letters in which Barth and the characters of his other books interact....
(1979) - SabbaticalSabbatical: A RomanceSabbatical: A Romance is a novel by the American writer John Barth, published in 1982. The story is centered on a yacht race through the Chesapeake Bay, and also include the case of the death of ex-CIA officer John Arthur Paisley.-See also:...
: A Romance (1982) - The Tidewater TalesTidewater TalesThe Tidewater Tales is a 1987 novel by the American writer John Barth. Its narrative is told from the shared perspectives of Peter Sagamore and Katherine Sherritt Sagamore, a well-coupled couple in their 8 and a half month of pregnancy in the summer of 1980...
(1987) - The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor (1991)
- Once upon a Time: A Floating Opera (memoirish novel) (1994)
- On with the Story (stories) (1996)
- Coming Soon!!!: A Narrative (2001)
- The Book of Ten Nights and a Night: Eleven Stories (2004)
- Where Three Roads Meet (three linked novellas) (2005)
- The Development (2008)
- Every Third Thought: A Novel in Five Seasons (2011)
Further reading
- Rovit, Earl The Novel as Parody: John Barth, in Critique, VI (Fall. 1963)
External links
- John Barth Wins Iranian Literary Prize, Powell's Books
- John Barth's statement to Iranian literary prize, Roozi Rozegari
- John Barth Information Center
- Scriptorium - John Barth
- Reading John Barth: an essay by Charles Harris (from CONTEXT Quarterly at CenterforBookCulture.org)
- North American Postmodern Fiction: John Barth
- Barth audio goodies at the Lannan site
- Two-part interview on KCRW's radio program 'Bookworm' with Michael Silverblatt (also at the Lannan site)
- click!, a short story by John Barth centered on hypertextuality
- National Book Awards Acceptance Speeche