Essayist, novelist, and short-story writer, William H. Gass (1924-2017) was an important figure in the American literary scene since the 1970s. Author of six works of fiction and nine of non-fiction, he was one of the leading figures of the formalist wave in contemporary American Literature. Professor of philosophy and inventor of the term “metafiction”, he is often associated with the postmodernist generation, alongside writers such as John Barth, Robert Coover and Donald Barthelme.

William H. Gass was born in Fargo, North Dakota, in 1924. Soon after his birth, his family moved to Warren, Ohio, where he spent his childhood during the Depression. Despite his early literary ambitions, he decided to major in philosophy …

2240 words

Citation: Monti, Enrico. "William Gass". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 October 2010; last revised 15 February 2023. [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1700, accessed 07 October 2024.]

1700 William Gass 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.