Research Catalog

Title

The spy story / John G. Cawelti, Bruce A. Rosenberg.

Author

Cawelti, John G.

Publication

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, [1987]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Rosenberg, Bruce A.

Description

x, 259 pages; 23 cm

Summary

Why has the spy story become such a popular form of entertainment in our time? In this fascinating account of the genre's evolution, John G. Cawelti and Bruce A. Rosenberg explore the social, political, and artistic sources of the spy story's wide appeal. They show how, in a time of bewildering political and corporate organization, the spy story has become increasingly relevant, the secret agent hero expressing the feelings of divided and ambiguous loyalties with which many individuals face the modern world. In addition to a general history of the genre, Cawelti and Rosenberg present in-depth analyses of the work of certain writers who have given the spy story its shape, among them John Buchan, Eric Ambler, Graham Greene, Ian Fleming, and John le Carré. The Spy Story also includes an extensive appendix, featuring a literary and historical bibliography of espionage and clandestinity, a list of the best spy novels and films, a catalog of major spy writers and their heroes, and a selection of novels on espionage themes written by major twentieth-century authors and public figures. Written in a lively style that reflects the authors' enthusiasm for this intriguing form, The Spy Story will be read with pleasure by devotees of the genre as well as students of popular culture.

Subject

• 1900-1999
• Geschichte 1900-
• Spy stories, English > History and criticism
• English fiction > 20th century > History and criticism
• Espionage in literature
• Spies in literature
• English fiction
• Spy stories, English
• Spionageroman
• Geschichte
• Englisch
• Spionageverhalen
• Engels
• USA
• Englisch
• USA

Genre/Form

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Note

• Includes index.

Bibliography (note)

• Bibliography: p. 247-256.

Contents

The appeal of clandestinity -- The spy story's story: a brief history -- The forms of the spy novel -- The joys of Buchaneering: John Buchan and the heroic spy story -- At a crossroads: Eric Ambler and Graham Greene -- Bonded excitement: Ian Fleming -- The complex vision of John le Carré -- Today's spy: recent espionage fiction -- Appendix: Motif and type index of the spy story -- A guide to the spy story.

ISBN

• 0226098680
• 9780226098685

LCCN

86030716

OCLC

• ocm14905921
• 14905921
• SCSB-1167309

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library