John Jakes: A Critical Companion

(Hardback)

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John Jakes, often called the people's author and godfather of the historical novel, has made American history come to life in his series The Kent Family Chronicles and The North and South Trilogy. Through these novels, Jakes conveys the sweep of American history, both its glory and its grim scenes, from the American Revolution to the opening moments of the 20th century. Never glossing over the nation's flaws (slavery, materialism, a double-edged Manifest Destiny), Jakes nevertheless affirms American values. This is the first full-length critical study of his work. It examines in detail Jakes' 13 major novels to date and assesses his methods as America's history teacher. In Part I, following a chapter on Jakes' life, Jones examines the early novels and Jakes' use of the genres of historical fiction, the western, and the historical family sage. Part II, The Kent Family Chronicles, devotes an individual chapter to each of the novels in this series, The Bastard, The Rebels, The Seekers, The Furies, The Titans, The Warriors, The Lawless, and The Americans. Part III, New Beginnings, features chapters on North and South, Love and War, and Heaven and Hell, and chapters on California Gold and Homeland. The examination of each novel in this study includes sections on plot development, character development, and thematic issues. Jones also offers an alternative critical perspective from which to read each novelsuch as feminist literary criticism, New Historicism, Marxist criticism, and Deconstructionismthat gives the reader an alternative viewpoint from which to consider the novel. A complete bibliography of all of John Jakes' work, works about John Jakes, and a listing of reviews of all the novels examined in the book concludes the study.

Reviews

"It's a handsome book...my thanks for making me part of a series that fills a great gap in contemporary literary studies."-John Jakes
is a laudable examination of the works and life of John Jakes, th Hilton Head author know for his historical novels. Mary Ellen Jones astutely covers Jakes' 13 major works and given that Jakes has been dubbed "godfather of the historical novel" assesses his methodology and historic accuracy. All John Jakes fans will love his work.-Herald
[a] very useful study of this very popular author.-Journal of Popular Culture
"a very useful study of this very popular author."-Journal of Popular Culture
"[a] very useful study of this very popular author."-Journal of Popular Culture
"is a laudable examination of the works and life of John Jakes, th Hilton Head author know for his historical novels. Mary Ellen Jones astutely covers Jakes' 13 major works and given that Jakes has been dubbed "godfather of the historical novel" assesses his methodology and historic accuracy. All John Jakes fans will love his work."-Herald

Author Bio

MARY ELLEN JONES is Director of American Studies and Associate Professor of English at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. She is author of The American Frontier (1994), Seeds of Change: Readings on Cultural Exchange after 1492 (1993), and Christopher Columbus and His Legacy (1992).