The Known World by Edward P. Jones - Narrative Techniques and Historical Knowledge

Explore a thought-provoking lecture on Edward P. Jones's "The Known World" as part of Yale University's "The American Novel Since 1945" course. Delve into the novel's central themes of knowledge, historical storytelling, and narrative techniques. Examine how Jones revives the 19th-century omniscient narrator style while challenging traditional notions of historical knowledge. Compare this approach to other works in the course syllabus and consider its implications for understanding the past. Investigate the novel's unique narrative structure, its relationship to postmodern historical theory, and its place within the context of contemporary American literature. Gain insights into the complexities of storytelling, the nature of truth, and the role of the narrator in shaping our understanding of history and fiction.

- Chapter 1. Initial Student Reactions: The Known World in the Wake of Morrison
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- Chapter 2. A Historical Novel: Reactions to Postmodern Historical Theory
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- Chapter 3. Threadlike Narratives and the Grand Tapestry: Modes of Telling Truth
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- Chapter 4. The Question of Knowing: A Syllabus Retrospective
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- Chapter 5. Jones's Anti-modernist Return to an Omniscient Narrator
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