"Opening with an explanation of the effect of the printing press on book culture, Hugh Kenner's study of Flaubert, Joyce, and Beckett explores the way this technological advancement altered the way fiction could be written." "Using this as his starting point, Kenner details the ways the three authors listed in the title found new possibilities for writing in unique, yet connected ways: Flaubert as the "Comedian of the Enlightenment," categorizing man's intellectual follies; Joyce as the "Comedian of the Inventory," with his meticulously constructed lists; and Beckett as the "Comedian of the Impasse," eliminating facts and writing novels about a man writing."--BOOK JACKET.