Rereading Martin Amis : character, reputation, morality

Abstract

This dissertation begins with the observation that, although Martin Amis was once at the centre of British literary culture, he has remained underrepresented in recent academic criticism. In response, it reassesses his fiction by taking character as a central, though not exclusive, critical concern, considered alongside the questions of reputation and morality that shape both his writing and its reception. This approach is informed by two developments: the renewed attention prompted by Amis’s death in 2023, and a broader critical return to issues surrounding character (and characterisation) in contemporary literary studies. Taken together, they help motivate a reconsideration of Amis’s literary standing through close readings of selected novels from across his career. Accordingly, the first chapter examines how Amis constructs the postmodern self in The Rachel Papers (1973), Money (1984), and London Fields (1989), analysing how these novels engage with and complicate postmodern conventions. The reading then turns to Night Train (1997) and Yellow Dog (2003) to explore Amis’s treatment of meaning and moral seriousness, and how these novels begin to suggest a broader emotional range in his portrayal of character. At the same time, this shift accompanies a change in tone and style, as Amis responds to the critical reassessment of postmodernism and its limits. Finally, the third chapter focuses on The Zone of Interest (2014) and Inside Story (2020), where questions of memory, history, and ‘late style’ shape a deeper emotional investment in his characterisation. These core readings are complemented by reference to Amis’s short stories and nonfiction, which help contextualise the novels within the broader context of his writing. Bringing the study to a close, the conclusion offers a final general reflection on what is overlooked when certain writers or methods fall out of critical view, and attempts to reaffirm the case for renewed scholarly attention to Amis’s fiction.