Moderns Worth Keeping

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy
Cover of the book Moderns Worth Keeping by Russell Fraser, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Russell Fraser ISBN: 9781351321983
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: January 22, 2019
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Russell Fraser
ISBN: 9781351321983
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: January 22, 2019
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

In this new volume, Russell Fraser assembles fourteen twentieth-century writers he judges "worth keeping." All were famous in their time, but many outlived it, enduring an eclipse that Fraser intends this book to dispel. Each of the authors differs in background and in the kinds of writing practiced, and while together they do not constitute a modern canon, Fraser persuasively presents them as a group distinguished by a more than ordinary affiliation for language. Leading off are Oscar Wilde and J. M. Synge, both of whom were Irish and principally known as playwrights. The Scottish poets Edwin Muir and G.M. Brown are complemented by three great Europeans: Paul Valery, Eugenio Montale, and Osip Mandelstam, "mandarins" who wrote for an elite of their time, not a social elite, but readers who could read. The New Critics, who gave language first place in their writing, loom large in this account. R.P. Blackmur and Allen Tate are followed by Delmore Schwartz, Austin Warren, and Francis Fergusson, lesser stars orbiting those greater than themselves. Kingsley Amis the novelist and James Dickey the poet, with whom the book concludes, had a great run at fame and fortune, but ended bleakly. The world was livelier for these writers' presence, and what they left us still gives satisfaction. This heterogeneous group may be said to be our saving remnant. In a time of coarsened feeling, its members possess in high degree the ability to discriminate, seeing acutely, and inspiring feeling where it was dead. Their function is therapeutic, even restorative for the life of letters. To give them a hearing is the principal purpose of the book.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this new volume, Russell Fraser assembles fourteen twentieth-century writers he judges "worth keeping." All were famous in their time, but many outlived it, enduring an eclipse that Fraser intends this book to dispel. Each of the authors differs in background and in the kinds of writing practiced, and while together they do not constitute a modern canon, Fraser persuasively presents them as a group distinguished by a more than ordinary affiliation for language. Leading off are Oscar Wilde and J. M. Synge, both of whom were Irish and principally known as playwrights. The Scottish poets Edwin Muir and G.M. Brown are complemented by three great Europeans: Paul Valery, Eugenio Montale, and Osip Mandelstam, "mandarins" who wrote for an elite of their time, not a social elite, but readers who could read. The New Critics, who gave language first place in their writing, loom large in this account. R.P. Blackmur and Allen Tate are followed by Delmore Schwartz, Austin Warren, and Francis Fergusson, lesser stars orbiting those greater than themselves. Kingsley Amis the novelist and James Dickey the poet, with whom the book concludes, had a great run at fame and fortune, but ended bleakly. The world was livelier for these writers' presence, and what they left us still gives satisfaction. This heterogeneous group may be said to be our saving remnant. In a time of coarsened feeling, its members possess in high degree the ability to discriminate, seeing acutely, and inspiring feeling where it was dead. Their function is therapeutic, even restorative for the life of letters. To give them a hearing is the principal purpose of the book.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book EIDETIC IMAGERY and Typological Methods of Investigation by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book UNHCR and International Refugee Law by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book British Economic and Strategic Planning by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book Downsizing Issues by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book The Russian Empire in the Eighteenth Century: Tradition and Modernization by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book Peasant Europe by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book Spinoza by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book Planning For Life by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book US Foreign Policy and Democracy Promotion by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book Therapeutic Communities for Psychosis by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book Historical Directory of Trade Unions: v. 6: Including Unions in: - Edited Title by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book Young People's Involvement in Sport by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book A Poetics of Church by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion by Russell Fraser
Cover of the book The Sidneys of Penshurst and the Monarchy, 1500–1700 by Russell Fraser
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy