Deconstructing the Novel: The Critical Function of the Artist’s Book
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Date
2014-02-12
Authors
Swartzlender, Kyle
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This essay explores how the genre of the artist’s book, especially the appropriative
manner of artist’s book, may be used as a method of literary criticism. The central argument of
the paper is that the book artist, when using a preexisting work of writing to form their own
artist’s book, has the potential to not only create an object of interest and beauty, but also a work
of intimate and scathing criticism. To demonstrate this point, the paper analyzes three separate
artist’s books: A Humument by Tom Phillips, Tree of Codes by Jonathan Saffran-Foer, and
Legendary, Lexical, Loquacious Love by Eve Rhymer, each of which represents a different
method by which the book artist is able formulate a critique of the original text they have altered.
Description
Submitted to the Undergraduate Library Research Award scholarship competition: 2013-2014. 17 pages.