Irresponsible self

The Irresponsible Self

A finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, this is a masterful study of "Laughter and Comedy in Literature" by leading contemporary literary critic James Wood.
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Following Unconventional: On Literature and Faith, The Irresponsible Self: On Laughter and the Novel, James Wood's second collection of literary criticism, reaffirms his exceptional talent, proving him not only a perceptive judge of modern fiction but also a sophisticated connoisseur. James Wood's literary criticism has almost completely escaped the confines of academic "literary theory," making him one of the most important literary critics working today, with his lucid yet incisive writing.
In this collection of literary criticism, Wood offers a fascinating exploration of the rarely explored yet valuable topic of "laughter and comedy in literature" through commentary on classic European and American literary classics as well as key contemporary works. In these 24 passionate and brilliant essays, he effortlessly connects literary classics with the literary landscape, offering reinterpretations of classics like Don Quixote, Anna Karenina, and The Brothers Karamazov, alongside equally urgent and insightful critiques of the most debated contemporary writers, including Jonathan Franzen, Thomas Pynchon, and Salman Rushdie.
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Wood writes with such precision and passion that there is neither the urge nor the possibility to oppose him… His enthusiasm offers an attractive alternative to the provocative style of Dale Peck and to the tepidity of academic criticism.
—Robert MacFarlane, The Times Literary Supplement

James Wood has been called our best young critic. That's not true. He is our best critic. His ideas are lofty and vigorous.
—Cynthia Ozick (contemporary American novelist)

Incomparable… He has not only a keen ear for style but also a remarkable ability to convey how the language of fiction transforms life into literature… Wood’s reviews… resonate with the kind of hard, serious pleasure that only literature can provide.
—A.O. Scott, The New York Times Book Review

Let's throw away the qualifiers and say it loud and clear: Wood is the best. This English transplant is a blessing to American culture... He threw himself into literature with reckless abandon, bravely pushing his ideas to the limit, willing to be ridiculed before regretting it... Passionate and elegant, The Irresponsible Self is a true delight... Books like this justify the existence of criticism... Let's thank Wood for his passion, his erudition, and his discerning eye.
—Adam Begley, The New York Observer

2024-09-01

北京联合出版公司

New Thinking

447

9787559678522