Includes bibliographical references and index.

Machine generated contents note: Introduction: a story of the stories of American fiction after 1945 John N. Duvall; Part I. Poetics and Genres: 1. Postmodern metafiction Amy Elias; 2. Contemporary realism Robert Rebein; 3. New journalism and the non-fiction novel Stacey Olser; 4. Science fiction Philip Wegner; 5. The short story Susan Lohafer; Part II. Historical and Cultural Contexts: 6. African American fiction Keith Byerman; 7. American Indian fiction Nancy J. Peterson; 8. Multiethnicities: Latino/a and Asian American fiction A. Robert Lee; 9. American Jewish fiction Victoria Aarons; 10. Feminist fiction Jane Elliot; 11. Southern fiction Martyn Bone; 12. Fiction and the Cold War Alan Nadel; 13. Fiction and 9/11 John N. Duvall; Part III. Major Authors: 14. Ralph Ellison Nicole Waligora-Davis; 15. Flannery O'Connor Jay Watson; 16. Thomas Pynchon Brian Jarvis; 17. Toni Morrison Linden Peach; 18. Don DeLillo Laura Barrett; Conclusion: whither American fiction? Jessica Pressman; Index.

"Each generation revises literary history and this is nowhere more evident than in the post-Second World War period. This Companion offers a comprehensive, authoritative and accessible overview of the diversity of American fiction since the Second World War. Essays by nineteen distinguished scholars provide critical insights into the significant genres, historical contexts, cultural diversity and major authors during a period of enormous American global political and cultural power. This power is overshadowed, nevertheless, by national anxieties growing out of events ranging from the Civil Rights Movement to the rise of feminism; from the Cold War and its fear of Communism and nuclear warfare to the Age of Terror and its different yet related fears of the 'Other'. American fiction since 1945 has faithfully chronicled these anxieties. An essential reference guide, this Companion provides a chronology of the period, as well as guides to further reading"--