LEADER 00000pam 2200313 i 4500 003 DLC 005 20141231193541.0 008 130930s2014 nyu 001 0 eng 010 2013033000 020 9780374289201 (hardback) 040 DLC|beng|erda|cDLC|dDLC|dNjBwBT|dIMmBT|dUtOrBLW 042 pcc 082 00 028/.9|223 092 028.9|bLES 100 1 Lesser, Wendy. 245 10 Why I read :|bthe serious pleasure of books /|cWendy Lesser. 250 First edition. 264 1 New York :|bFarrar, Straus and Giroux,|c2014. 300 223 pages ;|c22 cm 336 text|btxt|2rdacontent 337 unmediated|bn|2rdamedia 338 volume|bnc|2rdacarrier 500 Includes index. 520 "An exhilarating volume that will ratchet up the joy for all reading groups "Wendy Lesser's extraordinary alertness, intelligence, and curiosity have made her one of America's most significant cultural critics," writes Stephen Greenblatt. In Why I Read, Lesser draws on a lifetime of pleasure reading and decades of editing one of the most distinguished little magazines in the country, The Threepenny Review, to describe a life lived in and through literature. As Lesser writes in her foreword, "Reading can result in boredom or transcendence, rage or enthusiasm, depression or hilarity, empathy or contempt, depending on who you are and what the book is and how your life is shaping up at the moment you encounter it." Here the reader will discover a definition of literature that is as broad as it is broad-minded. In addition to novels and stories, Lesser explores plays, poems, and essays along with mysteries, science fiction, and memoirs. As she examines these works from such perspectives as "Character and Plot," "Novelty," "Grandeur and Intimacy," and "Authority," Why I Read sparks an overwhelming desire to put aside quotidian tasks in favor of reading. A book in the spirit of E. M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel and Elizabeth Hardwick's A View of My Own, Why I Read is iconoclastic, conversational, and full of insight. It will delight those who are already avid readers as well as neophytes in search of sheer literary fun"--|cProvided by publisher. 600 10 Lesser, Wendy|xBooks and reading. 650 0 Books and reading. 650 0 Literature|xHistory and criticism.
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