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Indlæser... The Oxford Book of Literary Anecdotes (1975)af James Sutherland (Redaktør)
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Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. Fantastic series of anecdotes upon anecdotes, especially heavy on the 18th and 19th century...each about a page or two long. Transports you to the gentlemanly world of sublte slights, eccentricities we would consider mild (but more genuine) by today's standards, and the birth of the genius as a personality type. Have your servant order some porter from the local dining club while you dodge your creditors and enjoy this book. I have, several times now. If you're like me, which I'm sure you're not, you will stop reading this when the anecdotes move into the 20th century. A glimpse into the most interesting moments (anecdotes are just encapsulated, interesting moments) of a different universe- which is why books of anecdotes are the best history books in the world. Historical anecdotes 4 life fool!! ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
"If literature...can be described as journalism worth reading twice, then anecdotes can be described as gossip worth hearing twice," wrote Frank Muir in his London Times review of this book. The stories collected here--nearly 500 covering a span of 1300 years--have been heard and read many times over and have become almost a part of literature themselves. They add spice and dimension to literary works and illuminate the often shadowy characters of their authors. For instance, would the works of Samuel Johnson be half as interesting if his wit hadn't been recorded by his devoted biographer James Boswell? And would we understand T.S. Eliot's poems quite so well if we didn't know of his religious piety? James Sutherland has sifted through numerous memoirs and biographies to compile this rich and fascinating anthology of tall and short tales, moving portraits, and comic asides about the men and women of English letters. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)820.9Literature English & Old English literatures English literature in more than one form History, description, critical appraisal of works in more than one formLC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit:
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In general, I found the anecdotes about authors I’d read, or at least heard of, more interesting. But there were exceptions. One of the most hilarious tales (#135) involves a Samuel Foote. Never heard of him, but the payoff evoked a belly laugh from me. Like many of my other favorites, it culminates in what used to be called the perfect squelch (does anyone say that anymore?). Perhaps it’s not surprising that many of these highly literate characters displayed their talent not only in long forms such as a novel but also in the tiniest of gems, the bon mot. Supreme among them seems to have been Oscar Wilde, who by all accounts managed to combine mordant wit with unfailing politeness. It seems incredible to me that one could do both, but this trait is multiply-attested.
It didn’t surprise me that there were several Henry James sightings. He seems to have been uniquely queer (in the old sense of the word) even in the literary world. I loved G. K. Chesterton’s attempt to capture James’s approximation of conversation: “gracefully groping; that is, not so much groping in the dark in blindness as groping in the light in bewilderment, through seeing too many avenues and obstacles” (#389).
Some of the best anecdotes collected here stand out not so much for their humor as for the insight into the character of a given author, for instance, the way Charlotte Brontë long hid her identity and how it became revealed to her publisher.
One of the most inspirational tales to me — given that I always feel there are so many books that I haven’t read yet should — appeared early in the anthology. It was the reply Thomas Hobbes gave to a visitor who was surprised to see so few books in his room: “he was wont to say that if he had read as much as other men he should have known no more than other men” (#33).
Nevertheless, on to the next book. ( )