Synopses & Reviews
How Literature Works is an indispensable book for any reader seeking a greater appreciation of their favorite novel, poem, or play. It offers a lively and straightforward guide to literary thinking. With a series of compact essays, the renowned literary critic John Sutherland--widely admired for his wit and clear reasoning--strips away the obscurity and pretension of literary study. His book offers concise definitions and clear examples of the fifty concepts that all book lovers should know.
It includes basic descriptive terms (ambiguity, epic), the core vocabulary of literary culture (genre, style), and devices employed by authors (irony, defamiliarization). More broadly, How Literature Works explores the animating concepts behind literary theory (textuality, sexual politics), traces the forces that impact literature's role in the real world (obscenity, plagiarism), and grapples with the future of reading (fanfic, e-book).
For any reader who wants to get the most out of the literature they read, Sutherland's short sharp book will both inform and delight.
Review
"I consider John Sutherland one of the finest English-speaking critics at work today. His truly encyclopedic knowledge of literature over the centuries is evident throughout this valuable new book, yet he exhibits his learning without pretension; that is, he really uses what he knows deftly. He opens up the world of literary thinking to the uninitiated in a refreshing way that is thoroughly sound without being intimidating. He's also a terrific writer--witty, succinct, and clear. In short, this is a brilliant book." --Jay Parini, author of Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America
"How Literature Works is reader-friendly--the writing is personable, intelligent, and informed without being pedantic--and helpful. John Sutherland clearly has vast learning, but he wears it lightly. Both the large concept and the selection of individual ideas that he covers are quite appealing. The book passes what Seamus Heaney calls the 'jealousy test.' Again and again, I found myself thinking, now why didn't I think of this?" --Thomas C. Foster, author of How to Read Novels Like a Professor
"Superb! You'll never again feel paralyzed over paradigm shifts--in fact, you'll read everything with new enlightenment. Who knew that your beach novel was metafiction!" --Library Journal (Starred Review)
Synopsis
A minefield of ambiguous concepts, leaden prose, and circular definitions await anyone who wishes to tackle the terms used to describe literature. Words like hermeneutics, heteroglossia, and mimesis tend to impede rather than enhance one's appreciation of a great literary work. Cutting through the cant, How Literature Works offers a reader friendly, easy-to-navigate guide that will aid anyone--from the undergraduate to the general reader--who's seeking a greater appreciation of their favorite novel, poem, or play. With a series of pithy, jaunty essays, renowned literary critic John Sutherland strips away the obscurity and pretension that attends the study of literature and the concepts used to describe it. His book offers concise definitions and clear examples of the 50 most important terms and concepts that all book lovers should know. An indispensable reference tool, How Literature Works will be a boon to readers of all sorts, from fans of William Shakespeare and Philip Roth to readers of Jane Smiley and Harry Potter.
About the Author
John Sutherland is Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London, and Professor of Literature at Caltech. The author of over twenty books, he writes regularly for the Times Literary Supplement and the Guardian. In 2005, he was chair of the Man-Booker fiction prize committee.
Table of Contents
Introduction
SOME BASICS
1. Mimesis
2. Ambiguity
3. Hermeneutics
4. The Classic
5. Intentionalism
6. The Affective Fallacy
7. Narrative / Story
8. Epic
9. Lyric / Prosody
10. Gothic
11. The Translation Paradox
MACHINERY: HOW IT WORKS
12. Culture
13. Milieu
14. Base / Superstructure
15. The Canon
16. Genre
17. Closure
18. Paradigm Shift
19. Ownership
20. Critical Authority
21. Style
LITERATURE'S DEVICES
22. Allegory
23. Irony
24. Imagery
25. Allusion
26. Defamiliarization
27. Bricolage
28. Metafiction
29. Solidity of Specification
NEW IDEAS
30. Structuralism
31. Deconstruction
32. Textuality
33. Double Bind
34. Postmodernism
35. Heteroglossia
36. New Historicism
37. Post-Colonialism
38. Semiology
39. Reception Theory
40. Sexual Politics
WORD CRIMES
41. Plagiarism
42. Obscenity
43. Libel
44. Blasphemy
45. Permissiveness
46. Literary Lies
47. Ghost-Writers
LITERARY FUTURES
48. Fanfic
49. The e-book
50. Literary Inundation
Answers to Quizzes
Glossary