Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Stern arranges this affectionate yet critical study as a chronological review of Matthiessen's books, from Sarah Orne Jewett (1929) to Theodore Dreiser (1951), which Matthiessen did not live to see through the press. Both an introductory chapter, 'The Man and His Work,' and a coda on Matthiessen's 'The Responsibilities of the Critic' reinforce Stern's insistent theme. Matthiessen, he argues, strove passionately to reconcile opposing tendencies in modern literature and intellectual life: social criticism and close formal explication; democratic solidarity and intense study that was bound to isolate him from the literary tastes and daily life of the masses; Christian faith and a socialism that in his mature years was dominated by movements that were aggressively secular. Stern gives a moving account of Matthiessen's devotion to literary study and to his students." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)