Synopses & Reviews
The literary relationship of James Joyce and Wyndham Lewis has been described in merely biographical terms; but here Scott W. Klein reveals hitherto unperceived textual affiliations between the two authors. The seeing eye and the world, the creating mind and fiction, and the processes of history appear in the work of both Joyce and Lewis as related thematic structures of opposition, reconciliation, and dialectic. Professor Klein's study adds to our understanding of Joyce and Lewis, and revises current perceptions of modernism.
Review
"...a well-balanced reading of both authors....the most thorough reading of the Joyce-Lewis intertext to date....His command of the major texts of both Joyce and Lewis is impressive and leads to the discovery of a number of heretofore unremarked parallels....After reading Klein, one begins to perceive the profound affinities between these two writers. One begins to understand just how crucial Lewis was to Joyce in the office of "anti-collaborator"--and Joyce to Lewis. They must be read together." Clio
Review
"Breaking ground in the study of oppositional literary identity, Klein's reading of the relationship between Joyce and Lewis ought to influence further studies to make local reading of diverse modes the basis for a unified and inclusive interpretation of modernism." Jesse Matz, Modernism/Modernity
Review
"[Klein's] arrival on the scene is good news for the future of the Joyce industry. He is sharp and energetic and engagingly enthusiastic. He has read everything. He is full of arresting insights." John Gordon, English Language in Transition 1880-1920
Synopsis
Relationship between the work of Joyce and Lewis, expressed through similar themes and structures.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction: opposition and representation; 1. The tell-tale Eye; 2. The mirror and the razor; 3. The cracked looking-glass of the master; 4. Minds of the anti-collaborators; Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index.