罗伯特·库弗（Robert Coover），是二十世纪六十年代以来zui有代表性的美国后现代作家之一。本书深入探讨库弗重要作品中呈现出的后现代派文学的嬉戏特质（playfulness），通过文本细读，探讨库弗如何运用后现代派文学技巧，戏仿宗教、历史、神话和经典童话，挫败读者期待。

张淑芬，厦门大学外文学院副教授，美国小说史博士，2011年一2012年国家公派美国加州圣地亚哥州立大学访问学者。多篇文学论文发表于《外国文学》《国外文学》等核心刊物，出版译著《多维全球化》，参与多项国家级、省部级课题，并参编一一多部大学英语教材。

Introduction
Chapter I Towards Postmodern Playful Narrative
1.1 The Evolution of Theories of Play
1.2 Robert Coover as a Postmodernist Game-Master
Chapter II History Revisited: The Public Burning
2.1 Unrelenting Parody on History: The Rosenberg Case Reevaluated
2.2 Roaring Carnival Laughter in the Times Square
Chapter III Playing at Religion: The Origin of the Brunists
3.1 Justin Miller as a Self-Conscious "Homo Luden"
3.2 Robert Coover as a Game-Maker
3.3 Robert Coover's Metafictional Impulse
Chapter IV The Games Within the Text: The Universal Baseball
Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop
4.1 Analogy Between Henry's Play-World and Fiction-Making
4.2 Henry's Game: "Agon" and "Alea", Mimicry and Ilinx Blended
4.3 Henry's Game-World Constructed
4.4 Play Corrupted: Henry's Integration with the UBA
4.5 An Open-Ended Game
Chapter V Playing at Fictional Codes: Gerald's Party
5.1 Textual Games Within Anti-Detective Story
5.2 A Game of Caillois's Vertigo
Conclusion
References
Acknowledgements