A prolific exegete ruminates on the practice of interpreting
literature. New York University's Donoghue (Walter Pater, 1995;
Warrenpoint, 1990; etc.) refers to the practice simply as
"reading," since any reading of a poem or story entails
interpretive understanding. After an essay on his Irish origins,
the next 7 of the book's 15 chapters somewhat haphazardly explore
academic controversies of the last 30 years. They come a bit late
in the day, mostly rehashing the controversies fomented in American
universities by the theories of Jacques Derrida, Paul de Man,
Stanley Fish, and a few others. Readers already familiar (or fed
up) with the topic of literary deconstruction are likely to feel
put upon by these unnecessary forays onto well-trampled turf. What
saves the book, though, are Donoghue's, richly satisfying
reflections on particular works. By now - this is his 23rd book -
it is plain that Donoghue is one of our foremost practical critics
writing in the tradition of people like T.S. Eliot and R.P.
Blackmur. Interpretation is what Donoghue does best. In the second
half he concentrates his attentions above all on the Irish, reading
for us Swift's Gulliver's Travels, the "Nausicaa" chapter of
Joyce's Ulysses, Yeats's poems "Leda and the Swan" and "Coole and
Ballylee, 1931." He also offers essays on Macbeth and Othello, on
Wordsworth's The Prelude, and on Walter Pater. But the outstanding
"reading" that he offers, one which takes pride of place as the
volume's concluding piece, deals with Cormac McCarthy's novel of
1985, Blood Meridian. McCarthy is a novelist more praised than
understood. Donoghue's exemplary essay on him is certain to become
a classic. Donoghue is an urbane reader and elegant stylist. His
interpretations will challenge and even entertain serious readers
of all stripes. (Kirkus Reviews)
This lucid and elegantly written book is a sustained conversation
about the nature and importance of literary interpretation.
Distinguished critic Denis Donoghue argues that we must read texts
closely and imaginatively, as opposed to merely or mistakenly
theorizing about them. He shows what serious reading entails by
discussing texts that range from Shakespeare's plays to a novel by
Cormac McCarthy. Donoghue begins with a personal chapter about his
own early experiences reading literature while he was living and
teaching in Ireland. He then deals with issues of theory, focusing
on the validity of different literary theories, on words and their
performances, on the impingement of oral and written conditions of
reading, and on such current forces as technology and computers
that impinge on the very idea of reading. Finally he examines
certain works of literature: Shakespeare's Othello and Macbeth,
Swift's Gulliver's Travels, a passage from Wordsworth's The
Prelude, a chapter of Joyce's Ulysses, Yeats's "Leda and the Swan"
and "Coole and Ballylee, 1931," and Cormac McCarthy's Blood
Meridian demonstrating what these texts have in common and how they
must be differentiated through a sympathetic, imaginative, and
informed reading.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(2)
(4)
