Genres in Discourse (Literature, Culture, Theory) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Catherine Porter (Translator) "Before plunging into the abyss opened up by the question What is literature?..." (more)
Key Phrases: discursive properties, underground man, histoires extraordinaires, New York, Henry James, Edgar Allan Poe (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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"Although Todorov is operating within the realm of high theory, he constructs most arguments from meticulous readings of individual texts. Unlike the bravura gestures of critics such as Harold Bloom, Todorov's close readings are quieter. Like embroidery examined with a magnifying glass, they impress by their intricacy and refinement....he is amazing." Village Voice

Product Description

This is a collection in translation of recent essays by Tzvetan Todorov, one of the most eminent of today's literary critics. The essays concentrate on the idea of genre, literary or otherwise, and asks such questions as: What is literature? What is genre? Which are the major literary genres? In the first section, Todorov proposes definitions for the notions of literature, discourse, and genre. Following is a general discussion of the two principal literary genres, fiction and poetry. Finally, in the third section of essays, Todorov examines individual authors as case studies: among them Poe, Dostoyevsky, Baudelaire, Conrad, and James.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 148 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 31, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521349990
• ISBN-13: 978-0521349994
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #512,845 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Literature, Broken Down into Its Components, February 9, 2004

By	Debbie Lee Wesselmann (the Lehigh Valley, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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Tzvetan Todorov has become a giant in literary criticism ever since his first emergence as a thinker in the 1960's. GENRES IN DISCOURSE - this English translation by Catherine Porter appeared in 1990 - is a slim but intellectually dense treatise on what differentiates and defines literature, in both the largest sense and the most minute. Todorov explores the functional and structural elements of literature; the origin of genres; narratology; poetry when "verse" is removed; and the complex interaction between reader and text. He then moves to separate essays discussing Dostoevsky, Poe, Conrad, and James. The chapter on James, "The Awkward Age," catches Todorov at his best as he explores the meaning and incomprehension of words and sentences as a central theme in James's work.

Todorov is a master of discourse, as his arguments contain the logic of classic reasoning with the leaps of an inventive thinker. Make no mistake - this book is for the academic and the literary critic, and not for the casual reader. Paragraphs sometimes need to be read several times to understand their full meaning, but for those who are interested in theories of literature, the rewards are worth the concentration needed.