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The Irresponsible Self
On Laughter And The Novel
by James Wood
'Self' is the second book of essays from Wood, the former chief literary critic of The Guardian and now a senior editor at The New Republic. The 23 pieces in this collection deal with the history and role of comedy in fiction.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 320 pages
06/16/2004
$24.00
ISBN: 0374177376
Nonfiction
Literary Criticism
All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...
Booklist Donna Seaman
Sterling essays as voluptuous in style as they are clarion in thought. [15 May 2004, p.1592]
Boston Globe Katherine A. Powers
No one has delineated the hollow that lies at the center of the contemporary "ironic" novel so well as the literary critic James Wood; indeed, no one has written better about most of what he writes about.
Kirkus Reviews Andrew Wylie
A miscellany, then--and an unusually rich and satisfying one. [15 Mar 2004, p.264]
Publishers Weekly
Most compelling is the way his own style swells and contracts with his subject matter, blithely metaphorical in praising Bellow, earnest and lucid in sorting out Jonathan Franzen or Zadie Smith, sarcastic in attacking Rushdie. [12 Apr 2004, p.45]
The Globe And Mail [Toronto]
Wood may be one of those very rare critics whose work is still read a half century on.
The Independent Peter J. Conradi
The Irresponsible Self is a great feast abounding in small surprises, felicities, wonders and delights.
The Spectator Stephen Abell
Throughout The Irresponsible Self, Wood makes the grade as a stylish writer as well as a clear-sighted reader.
Washington Post George Garrett
The writing is alive, crackling and sparkling with electric energy.
The New York Times Book Review A.O. Scott
He has not only a well-tuned ear for prose but a remarkable ability to convey how novelistic language transubstantiates life into literature.
San Francisco Chronicle Larry Tritten
I was intermittently impressed and perplexed by Wood's essays.
The Guardian Philip Horne
The most enjoyable, stimulating parts of this enlivening book are the most polemical essays on recent fiction.
Los Angeles Times Matthew Price
A master of close reading, Wood has an unmatched ability to tease out the minutest nuances of character and plot, but sometimes his soaring metaphoric prose, his sheer literary flair and extravagant reach can leave one a little dizzy.
Daily Telegraph Sam Leith
The problem is, you fear he may have sacrificed breadth for clarity.
Salon Laura Miller
He is always interesting, but rarely convincing. No one can beat him at making literature seem a matter of moral consequence, but he's not actually very good at making you want to read the books he loves.
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