%0 Journal Article
%T American Minimalism: The Western Vernacular in Norman Mailer¡¯s The Executioner¡¯s Song.
%A Andrew Wilson
%J European Journal of American Studies
%D 2009
%I European Association for American Studies
%R 10.4000/ejas.7532
%X This paper identifies and discusses the western vernacular and minimalist tendencies in Norman Mailer¡¯s 1980 Pulitzer Prize winning ¡°true-life story¡± The Executioner¡¯s Song.  Mailer¡¯s use of a lean, often flat style of narration is read in relation to Truman Capote¡¯s ¡°non-fiction novel¡± In Cold Blood to measure the extent to which Mailer moved beyond a conventional novelistic approach. The article positions The Executioner¡¯s Song alongside earlier minimalist styles in American Literature and takes stock of Mailer¡¯s use of oral storytelling techniques and panoramic perspectives. Mailer¡¯s minimal presence in the narrative and the original capital punishment proceedings is established, with support from early reviews, debates surrounding the genre of The Executioner¡¯s Song and interviews given by the author since its publication in 1979.
%U http://ejas.revues.org/7532