2. Critical Responses to Vollmann
William Vollmann is widely recognized as a major figure in contemporary American literature and one of the most innovative writers of his generation. His approach to writing combines investigative journalism， intensive historical research， and a metafictional technique.
Critics praise Vollmann for his distinctive， often beautiful prose andcommend his work for lus insights into neglected areas of modern life. Some critics， however， "note that Vollmann is prone to writing dense， sprawling works that seem to lack structure， and argue that his fondness for prostitutes is either a perverse fetish or a cliched attempt to shock bourgeois sensibilities" （ "William T.Vollmann" ）.
Since the publication of You Bright and Risen Angels in 1987， rave reviews were printed in the New Statesman， USA Today， and TheNew York Times Book Review. Gail Pool was among the first to assessthe strength and weakness of the novel. Michael Hemmingson extolled Vollmann's literary technique and ambitions：
It is the type of first novel that signifies a writer has left the starting gate of a major career， similar to Pynchon's V. ， Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise， and Mailer's The Naked and the Dead-all， respectfully， lengthy novels by writers under 30 years of age， employing pyrotechnic and acrobatic uses of language and formal innovations of structure. （ qtd.in Hemmingson 18） As an auspicious debut， his first novel earned Vollmann a Whiting Award， the attention of influential people in the publishing community， and the regard of literary critics， and the book is taught in many courses on postmodern literature and science fiction， Vollmann's second title appeared two years after the publication of You Bright and Risen Angels， and the style of narrative journalism in The Rainbow Stories reflects the overall presentation of Vollmann's future work.
One of the first established literary critics to acknowledge the importance of Vollmann is Larry McCaffery. In 1990， literary guru Larry McCaffery met Vollmann for the first time to conduct an interview for his Some Other Frequency： Interviews with Innovative American Authors.
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