| Transgressional fiction is a form of literature in which the story
centres around one or more characters who feel confined by the current norms and expectations of (usually Western) society. These
characters, throughout the course of the story, attempt to break out from those boundaries and find that which they are looking
for, be it better self-identity, inner peace, or anything else that they are unable to attain within the current boundaries.
Many of the characters' actions may be considered frequently anti-social
and/or violent and nihilist, and so the genre is no stranger to controversy. The genre encompasses a number of famous modern
works, some of which are listed below, not to mention a surprisingly wide variety of authors.
At the same time, less bound by societal restrictions, its proponents claim it is capable of pungent commentary upon the
society its characters inhabit.
Minimalism is a common method of writing in transgressional fiction.
American novelist Chuck Palahniuk often uses the phrase
transgressional fiction when describing his form of writing.
Literary ancestry
The basic ideas of trangressional fiction are by no means new.
In particular, it can be argued that the 19th century French author Émile
Zola's works about social conditions, and 'bad behaviour' are direct ancestors. Zola's works were extremely controversial at
the time. Later French work from the twentieth century is also a possible influence.
Dostoyevsky's novels Crime and Punishment (1866) and Notes from Underground (1864) also deal with some common themes, as does Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun's Hunger (1890).
In the United States, Charles Bukowski is a possible ancestor,
as is perhaps Jack London.
In England, the genre owes a considerable influence to so called working class
literature, which often portrays proletarian characters trying to escape the poverty trap by inventive means. In the USA, the
genre has tended to focus more on middle class characters.
Authors of transgressional fiction
Notable works of transgressional fiction
This is a short list of works of transgressional fiction that are of considerable popularity.
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