From the jump, Dolis makes clear his disdain for contemporary literary theory for what he terms “its sociological disposition,” taking his work into a critical space once inhabited by the likes of Harold Bloom. Dolis focuses on six American novels of the early 20th century that have fallen below the radar and that need, according to him, to be kept as part of the conversation—novels including Nathanael West's Miss Lonely hearts, Thornton Wilder's The Cabala, and, perhaps most important, F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night. Dolis offers a lively Lacanian close reading of the novels, landing most effectively, despite some purple prose, on the final chapter on Fitzgerald’s novel. Though this psychoanalytical approach has lost its appeal in recent decades, the study of literature is a big-tent discipline, and such framing is not without merit and should continue to be part of the conversation. Definitely for those who still find value in the schools of criticism of the mid-20th century. Recommended. Researchers and faculty.
