John Updike: A Study of the Short Fiction Edited by Robert M. Luscher is a 242-page hardcover published in 1993 by Twayne Publishers (New York).  There is some old 2" x 1" sticker residue to the front cover from an old label.  The book itself is in very good condition.

Book Summary

Prolific in a variety of genres, John Updike was one of North America's premier men of letters, regularly producing novels, poetry, short fiction, and volumes of assorted prose.  Without question, he is one of the most widely read contemporary American authors.  Updike's elegant fiction on the tensions and tragedies of contemporary middle-class life have earned him numerous awards, including the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for his novel Rabbit is Rich.  Updike is also a serious craftsman of the short story, with 10 collections and 200 short stories to his credit. 

In John Updike:  A Study of Short Fiction, Robert M. Luscher focuses exclusively on Updike's short fiction.  In this comprehensive treatment of all of Updike's short fiction, Luscher explores each of Updike's collections separately and in approximate chronological order.  Luscher adopts this traditional approach, because each collection has a dominant thematic focus and examines characters in a particular phase of development.  Updike's short fiction captures the changing historical background, the shifting social mores, and the personal responses to the altered socio-cultural circumstances that have heightened spiritual uncertainty, social unrest, sexual freedom, and domestic tension.  Each successive collection shows Updike experimenting with different techniques as his focus on American domestic life adjusts to accommodate new emphases.  As Updike's emphasis on different phases of experience shifts, so does the manner in which he handles his subjects.  Luscher's examination is amplified by Updike's own commentary on the art of fiction. 

ISBN:  0-8057-0850-2