A hilarious murder mystery that skewers both publishing and academia with pure "old-fashioned comic storytelling" (Washington Post Book World). "Grudin . . . has . . . taken the genre of the academic satire . . . and run it through the post-structuralist dicer."--New York Times Book Review.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A witty burlesque of bookishness that focuses on an English professor's disappearance.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This skillful satire, set at the University of Washagon, pits "evil" literary theorists against classical scholars: someone is trying to kill English professor Adam Snell and his novel. Grudin's concern about the lack of support for creativity in an academic setting, previously explored in the nonfiction work Grace of Great Things ( LJ 5/15/90), here gets a fairy-tale resolution, with fame, wealth, and love coming to Snell as a result of his truth-telling novel Sovrana Sostrata. Funny and perceptive, Book parodies literary forms (there's a revolt among the footnotes) and the power struggles within university life. This unique, well-constructed blend of truth, humor, and suspense is essential for academics: fun to read, but with real sustenance.
- Rebecca S. Kelm, Northern Kentucky Univ., Highland Heights
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
- Rebecca S. Kelm, Northern Kentucky Univ., Highland Heights
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Friggin Genius,
By Jay (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Book (Paperback)
One of the best books I've ever read. Brilliant. Funny. Ironic. Both serious and funny, genre and parody, surreal and genuine. I just finished reading it for the second time. (Gotta love those rebellious footnotes!)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Academic's "Confederacy of Dunces",
By
This review is from: Book (Paperback)
If you have sullied your shoes in the quagmire of academic politics, you will find this book amusing. (If you haven't, it's still pretty darned funny, although it does require an appreciation for in-jokes of the academic kind.)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A hilarious satire and all-around fun read,
By A Customer
This review is from: Book (Paperback)
It will be a sad day when this novel goes out of print. (Read Book and you'll understand.) The satire is specific to English departments, but anyone who hates pretension or who has dealt with the inside politics of higher education will really savor it. The writing is clever and inventive, a pleasure to read from the very first page.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
