Not a Big Deal

"Not a Big Deal facilitates an important conversation on narrative, perception, and race. Drawing from multiple disciplines such as narratology, cognitive science, and philosophy, Ardoin (Univ. of Texas, San Antonio) invites readers to consider two central concepts: unsettling narration and unsettled sight. . . . Rigorous and eminently readable, Not a Big Deal illuminates a significant social problem and proposes ideas and practices that could make one a more ethical reader and person."—J. D. Harding, Choice

“A spellbinding discussion that traces the ways a single perceptual problem plays out in a range of political and aesthetic contexts. . . . Insightful and powerful.”—Susanna Siegel, Edgar Pierce Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University and author of The Rationality of Perception

“Calling on the resources of cultural studies, philosophy, cognitive studies, and narrative theory, Ardoin illuminates some maximally high-stakes cases of unsettling narration, including ‘Recitatif,‘ Zone One, and Get Out. It’s a tour de force.”—Brian McHale, cofounder of Project Narrative, Ohio State University

“Extremely important. Not a Big Deal is that rare literary-theoretical project that actually has its feet on the ground. Paul Ardoin identifies and names practices of writing and reading that haven’t been previously noticed or named, contributing something new to literary studies, narrative theory, and reception studies.”—Lesley Larkin, professor of English at Northern Michigan University and author of Race and the Literary Encounter