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So varied and prodigious are the works of John Cowper Powys that efforts to place him in a literary genre or tradition have invariably proved frustrating to critics. Attempting to classify the unclassifiable is an unrewarding pastime, and many have seen this as a significant reason for the relative neglect of Powys's work in academic and publishing circles. Equally, however, the work of a writer who was himself such a voracious reader of contemporary literature can hardly be discussed in isolation from the artistic movements of his times. In this study, the author discusses Powys in relation to Modernism, with particular reference to two of his greatest works: Autobiography and A Glastonbury Romance. Michael Holliday is Director of Curriculum and Quality Assurance at Henley College, Coventry. His chance encounter with A Glastonbury Romance in a second-hand bookshop stimulated an interest that led to a postgraduate thesis on Powys at Birmingham University.
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