The Singularity of Literature [Hardcover]

Derek Attridge (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415335922 | ISBN-13: 978-0415335928 | Publication Date: May 20, 2004

Winner of the ESSE (European Society for the Study of English) Book Award for Literature 2006 

Literature and the literary have proved singularly resistant to definition. Derek Attridge argues that such resistance represents not a dead end, but a crucial starting point from which to explore anew the power and practices of Western art.
In this lively, original volume, the author:

• considers the implications of regarding the literary work as an innovative cultural event, both in its time and for later generations;
• provides a rich new vocabulary for discussions of literature, rethinking such terms as invention, singularity, otherness, alterity, performance and form;
• returns literature to the realm of ethics, and argues the ethical importance of the literary institution to a culture;
• demonstrates how a new understanding of the literary might be put to work in a 'responsible,' creative mode of reading.
• The Singularity of Literature is not only a major contribution to the theory of literature, but also a celebration of the extraordinary pleasure of the literary, for reader, writer, student or critic.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The clarity and imagination with which the argument is presented make this book capable of reinvigorating the debate about literary form in English study at many levels.' -  Oxford Literary Review

'Attridge builds a powerful account of literature and an original account of the relation of literature to ethics. Written accessibly and without jargon, this book will excite old and new readers alike.' - Simon Critchley, New School University, New York, and the University of Essex

'[A] singular achievement in pushing the challenge of literature to the top of the agenda and opening the objectives of the discipline to debate.' - Kiernan Ryan, Literature and Poetry

'[This is] a very intelligent book, highly accessible.' – ZAA 

About the Author

Derek Attridge is Professor of English at the University of York and author of acclaimed works on poetry, fiction and literary theory.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (May 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415335922
• ISBN-13: 978-0415335928
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,746,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Clear but unoriginal, April 12, 2005

By 

Just another damn grad student (Charlottesville, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Singularity of Literature (Paperback)

An initial caveat: I didn't finish this book. I stopped about two-thirds of the way into it because, frankly, I found the book tedious by that point.

To be fair, Attridge's prose is very clear and readable, and he's produced a text that could potentially bridge the gap between professional and lay audiences. And, being accustomed to reading abstruse texts that induce a mixture of intense engagement and literal nausea, I did enjoy the book's brisk pace. For a while. But I eventually grew weary of the book's repetitive nature.

More significantly, the book suffers from a lack of originality. For anyone even casually familiar with the history of literary theory, none of Attridge's arguments will seem novel or original.

To sum up: Attridge has produced an accessible book for a reader who is curious about literary studies but doesn't want to wade through volumes of difficult texts. For anyone who has done some footwork, however, this book will be disappointing.