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Check for Availabilityout of stock. Click on the button below to search for this title in other formats.  This title in other formats:The Irresponsible Self: On Laughter and the Novelby James Wood
Review-a-Day (What is Review-a-Day?)"Wood employs a remarkable understanding of how fiction works, and how it works on us the readers. The depth of his reading and the acuity of his observations make this a tough, enlightening book. (Which is not to say that Wood himself is never amusing; he has his Dale Peck moments. He writes, for instance, of Tom Wolfe's books and their 'immense twisted colons of plot.') In this, his second book of criticism, Wood approaches literature with such absolute passion that in the end you forgive him anything." Anna Godbersen, Esquire (read the entire Esquire review) Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:James Wood's first book of essays, The Broken Estate, established him as the leading critic of his generation, one whose judgments "are distinguished by their originality and precision, the depth of reading that informs them, and the metaphorical richness of their language" (Harper's). Its successor, The Irresponsible Self, confirms Wood's preeminence, not only as a discerning judge but also as an appreciator of novels, with a special interest in the ways they make us laugh. In twenty-three passionate, sparkling dispatches, he defends what he calls "secular comedy"-human, tragicomic, forgiving, bound up with the very origins of the novel -against the narrower "religious comedy" of satire and farce, which is corrective, punitive, and theatrical. Ranging over such crucial comic writers as Cervantes, Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, Waugh, Bellow, and Naipaul, Wood offers a broad history of comedy while examining each chosen writer with his customary care and intense focus. This collection (which includes Wood's much-discussed attack on "hysterical realism") is indispensable reading for anyone who cares about modern fiction or criticism today. Review:"[Wood writes] with magisterial sweep and terrific intensity....Most compelling is the way his own style swells and contracts with his subject matter..." Publishers Weekly Review:"[A] provocative gathering of 21 recent (1999-2003) reviews....A miscellany...and an unusually rich and satisfying one." Kirkus Reviews Review:"Wood...writes with exquisite sensitivity and stirring acuity about two dozen diverse writers...in sterling essays as voluptuous in style as they are clarion in thought." Donna Seaman, Booklist Synopsis:In 23 passionate, sparkling dispatches, Wood defends what he calls "secular comedy" — human, tragicomic, forgiving, bound up with the very origins of the novel — against the narrower "religious comedy" of satire and farce, which is corrective, punitive, and theatrical. About the AuthorJames Wood was the chief literary critic of The Guardian and is a senior editor at The New Republic. His previous work includes The Broken Estate and The Book Against God (FSG, 2003). What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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