Making One′s Way Back to Life in Ancient Evenings

Abstract

At the present time there are no authoritative, detailed studies of Ancient Evenings. ¹ It is still too early to say what the consensus on Mailer′s attempt at a master narrative will be. For the time being, the foundation of the current discussion of the novel is provided by long, sympathetic and perceptive reviews by two critics who are, in their separate ways, ideally equipped to deal with what can only be called the phenomenon of Mailer′s recent fiction: Richard Poirier and Harold Bloom. With the exception of these two commentators, there is every sign that the critical community remains baffled by Ancient Evenings.