ROBERT ALTERThe Pleasures of Reading in an Ideological AgeThe perfect book for the reading group that loves Edith Wharton, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Virginia Woolf.For all of us who long for the satisfactions of reading engagement that we dont find in surfing the Net, or yearn to revisit the great works of literature with (ahem) the wisdom of age, here is a learned, witty, energetic exploration from one of our premier literary scholars. Robert Alters illumination of the unique power and beauty of reading literature is especially valuable at a time when we are surrounded by electronic texts that distract more than engage, and when the special claims of great literature are disparaged by the high priests of literary theory. Alter explores the strategies that distinguish literature--the resources of style, the dynamics of allusion, the formal design of structure, the play of perspective in narrative. He draws on copious examples from the great works of literary art--from the Book of Genesis to Shakespeare, Conrad, and Nabokov--to illustrate his analysis of what makes reading a source of complex pleasure and insight. "Good sense, good temper, and sensitivity . . . lucid and moderate."--The New Yorker "Eloquent, buoyant, highly recommended."--Christian Science Monitor Robert Alter is the author of many works of literary scholarship, including The Art of Biblical Narrative and The Art of Biblical Poetry. He is Class of 1937 Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. 1996 / paperback / ISBN 0-393-31499-5 / 256 pages / literature | |||||
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