Customer Reviews

This Brittle Existence: Professor Whippington Reconsiders the Poetical Works

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This work of fiction pokes fun at all those who take themselves (and their work) far too seriously. With names like Haft Witt Scholarship, Beerfroth Downs, Breakwind Estate, Peter Pumper and Lady Blatherton, it's hard to take this book seriously, which is the whole point. Despite the tongue in cheek, there emerges an actual storyline--albeit simplistic--of mystery and romance. A twentieth century British scholar, whose lifelong endeavor is to uncover the truth about the life and death of a highly esteemed poet, goes in search of new details which he pursues methodically and in exaggerated fashion.

It's grandiose. It's crude. It's silly. It's a fun read.

If you've ever grappled with the arcane and narrow world of literary scholarship, you'll love this book. The characters are funny (as are their names) and the foolishness will make you laugh out loud. If Byatt's Possession is the alpha of the genre, This Brittle Exitence is the omega. I especially recommend reading all the "poetry" at the end.