British Isles Reviews

Patriarchy and Incest from Shakespeare to Joyce

Published in Hardcover by University Press of Florida (1998-06-30)

Author: JANE M. FORD

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Superb investigating

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Review Date: 2007-10-25

In this book Jane Ford has compiled many hours of investigation into the works of several great authors. Her insights are unique, thought provoking, and groundbreaking. The works of these authors will never look quite the same to someone who reads her book.

Thought provoking

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 1998-12-31

This author has done extensive research on this topic. Dr. Ford has published numerous papers and articles. I have had the privilege of discussing literature with her, and have been impressed with her insightfulness. Chris Hayes

Permanence and Change: An Anatomy of Purpose, Third edition

Published in Paperback by University of California Press (1984-05-23)

Author: Kenneth Burke

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Permanence and Change - a cornerstone of literary theory

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-24

Permanence and Change is not the easiest read but well worth any effort. Burke's style is delightful if discursive and occasionally digressive. He takes principles of pragmatism and develops them to where we are today and beyond, though he rarely gets credit for his prescience. With sensitivity and a level of literary cultivation too often missing from today's discussions, Burke illustrates how and why we interpret teleologically, how interpretation is shared by all conscious creatures and what makes humans so special in their use of language for survival. Together with its more awkward imperfect sequel, Attitudes Towards History, it gives us a picture of some of the deepest points of intellectual life in the politically engaged 1930's.

A keystone work in the field of rhetoric and social theory

Helpful Votes: 21 out of 21 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-03

"Permanence and Change" was first published in 1935, revised in 1954 (which included the appendix "On Human Behavior Considered 'Dramatistically'") with an afterword "Permanence and Change: In Restrospective Prospect" added by Burke in 1984. This third edition also reprints Hugh Dalziel Duncan's introduction. This volume is the second in Burke's "first trilogy," which started with "Counter-Statement" and concluded with "Attitudes Toward History," and I should express my preference for these earlier works over the latter ("Rhetoric of Motives," etc.) because of their greater depth and breadth of conceptualization.

In "Permanence and Change" Burke establishes the ways in which "form" permeates society as much as it does the arts. Consequently, even when we look at forms are art we are not dealing exclusively with aesthetics, but with more rhetorical notions of form of which we should be aware. Part I "On Interpretation" works from Veblen's concept of "Trained Incapacity" to establish the connection between rationalization and orientation. This leads to the idea that motives are shorthand terms for situations, the interpretation of which are thwarted by the "occupational psychosis" of the individual. Here is where you get your best sense of Burke as providing a synthesis of Freud and Marx. Part II "Perspective by Incongruity" is perhaps the key section for me in all of Burke's writing, especially given the degree to which I embrace the concept. The goal of which is to create new meanings that are progressively more "real." Part III "The Basis of Simplification" advocates "the poetry of action" as the ideal conceptualization of the interpretive process. As always, the scope of Burke's use of evidence, both in the literary and critical worlds, is astounding. "Permanence and Change" is a key work in the field of rhetoric and social theory.

Philanthropy in British and American Fiction: Dickens, Hawthorne, Eliot and Howells (Edinburgh Studies in Transatlantic Literatures)

Published in Hardcover by Edinburgh University Press (2007-12-15)

Author: Frank Christianson

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Brilliant analysis

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Review Date: 2008-03-18

Dr. Christianson approaches seemingly (in my mind) totally seperate topics and demonstrates how giving was influenced by contemporary literature and actually fed a class system in very many ways still in place today.

Well written and thought provoking

Makes me look at Philanthropy in a new way

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Review Date: 2008-03-17

Dr. Christianson does a great job of showing the relationship philanthropy and literature played in both England and America. A great read for the intellectual and neophyte alike.

A Polite and Commercial People: England 1727-1783 (New Oxford History of England)

Published in Paperback by Oxford University Press, USA (1994-01-06)

Author: Paul Langford

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Erudite and highly readable survey of later Georgian England

Helpful Votes: 21 out of 22 total.
Review Date: 2000-09-02

First, a few words to place my remarks in context. I'm not a historian (I'm an economist), but I've long enjoyed reading general histories. Indeed, I've read the entire 15-volume Oxford History of England, a series now being replaced by the New Oxford History of which, I believe, "A Polite and Commercial People" is the first volume.

Not being a specialist, I'm in no position to comment on whether or not Langford's book is representative of recent thought on the period. He'll sometimes set out a position with which he disagrees, and then explain his reasons for coming to a different conclusion. In these instances his may or may not be a minority view, but at least he has set out the opposing position with what seems like clarity and fairness. I'm not sure I'd want him to do much more in what is, after all, a book for the general reader.

The "general reader" of old was, of course, notoriously well-read, and at times Langford takes advantage of this assumption. I don't actually have the book handy just now and so can't check chapter and verse, but I think it helps if, for example, you've already heard of Maria Teresa. The author doesn't have time to explain, and a few times I found myself having to make an educated guess but, in 725 pages, this happened quite rarely (a tribute to the author's organisational skill, not to my own reading).

Traditional political history takes up only three chapters which Langford spreads throughout the book covering, respectively, from the accession of George II to the fall of Walpole, to the end of the Seven Years War, and to end of the American War of Independence. I've no idea how innovative or otherwise Langford was in choosing categories for his other chapters, but he manages to make concepts such as "politeness" interesting and coherent enough to serve as their themes. It strikes me that, when political history first began to fall out of favour, it was replaced by rather dull stuff that focussed excessively on, say, education or the poor law. Yes, these topics are dealt with thoroughly in Langford's book but, somehow, he manages to organise and interpret his material in such a way that it has all the narrative virtues we old-fashioned "general readers" used to like in those political histories. (I know that must sound naive to a historian, but these reviews are meant to be helpful to others who might share my failings. Another naive confession: I can't resist drawing a great many parallels between the period Langford describes and, on the other hand, our own times.)

Throughout, the author's style is elegant, varied and energetic without ever seeming affected in the slightest. It is direct, but capable of considerable nuance. I'm a surprisingly slow reader for a person who reads so much, but this really was [cliche alert] a page-turner [/cliche].

Now that I've finished it, I still might not be able to pass a pop quiz on the Gordon Riots, say, or the War of Jenkins Ear. Still, I've been entertained and--if I can put it like this--enlightened by this first volume in the new Oxford series. Bring on fourteen more!

An outstanding survey of 18th century England

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-20

In 1934, Oxford University Press published the first volume in the "Oxford History of England" series. As subsequent volumes came out over the next 31 years, they came to serve as indispensable surveys of English history, the natural starting point for anyone interested in England's past and a powerful force influencing our understanding of it. Yet as the state of historical scholarship evolved, gradually the volumes became outdated in terms of their presentation and interpretation of the past. In response, Oxford launched a "New Oxford History of England" series, of which Paul Langford's book was the inaugural title.

In it Langford presents a wide-ranging history of England from the accession of George II to the loss of the American colonies. He presents the era as a chaotic one, with the country still coping with the consequences of the Glorious Revolution, which let a deep impression upon politics and society. Though the aristocracy remained the dominant group in many respects, the author sees the middle class increasingly coming to play a vital role in English life as the century progressed. In an age of commercial prosperity, their"polite" values increasingly contested with those of the upper class, setting the stage for their gradual assertion as the dominant segment of society in the century that followed.

Langford's book is an outstanding survey of Hanoverian England, one that draws upon an impressive range of scholarship. Though his main focus is on the politics and society of the period, very little escapes his coverage, as economics, art, and literature also are addressed within its pages. Though he presumes that his readers possess some prior knowledge of his subject (the mini biographies of people offered in footnotes in the old series are absent here), his analysis and arguments are clear and forcefully made. The understanding he provides of the era makes his book a critical resource on the subject, and a worthy successor volume to those from the venerable old series.

The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy 1934-38

Published in Paperback by Cambridge University Press ()

Author: Jackson

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A Lost Opportunity

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Review Date: 2005-08-01

This is really good book on a complex subject. The Popular Front was an effort by the French Left to unify in order to fight fascism. It was also an opportunity to lessen inequality in French society. It ultimately failed because it was a negative alliance rather than a positive one and because some of the politicians lacked the patriotism to forget their differences even momentarily. Jackson does a good job of navigating the reader through the complexities of French politics in the 1930's. He also helps us to understand the major personalities involved. He is particularly adept at describing the strengths and weaknesses of Leon Blum, Maurice Thorez, and Edouard Daladier, the three leaders of the Front. Additionally, the book describes the high hopes of the working class and some intellectuals when the Popular Front was victorious and how these hopes were dashed. There is even a brief look at Popular Front cinema. Anyone interested in French politics in the inter-war years or in the question as to why France was so thoroughly defeated in 1940 should read this book.

Superb overview

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-19

While not a work of primary research, this book will likely form the definitive overview of the Popular Front for many years. Evenhanded, balanced and careful in its judgements, Jackson has mastered the huge literature on the Front and presents it in an acessible volume. This book has no serious rival in English.

Post-Colonial Literatures: Expanding the Canon (Post-Colonial Studies)

Published in Hardcover by Pluto Press (1999-10-01)

Author:

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Blackwell Publishers:

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Review Date: 2000-12-02

This collection of essays on the field of post-colonial studies, offers perspectives on texts from both sides of the Atlantic, challenging the emerging consensus on post-colonial literatures in the process. The contributors discuss a diversity of related topics, from case studies of specific authors to theoretical investigations of such fundamental questions as the role of literary study within multicultural societies.

A necessary book, and a great read

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-17

This book opened my eyes about the complexity of post-colonial studies, and finally defines it with examples from around the globe. It shows that post-colonial studies are really not just about the British colonies anymore, but applies to North and South America as well. It also shows that contemporary scholarship can be an exciting and entertaining read. I would recommend this book for students of literature and cultural geography alike. It should also be useful for anybody interested in environmental and social justice, and the continuing worldwide effect of centuries of colonization.

Proust's Lesbianism

Published in Hardcover by Cornell University Press (1999-05)

Author: Elisabeth Ladenson

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The first and last word on Proust's lesbians...

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2001-03-11

In PROUST'S LESBIANS, Ladenson goes where few critics have gone before and she reads the figure of the lesbian in Proust's works not as a gay man manque, but shockingly as...a lesbian! PROUST'S LESBIANS is a fantastic read - enjoyable, witty, erudite, accessible and highly informative.

Highly recommended

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-26

If this book can be classified as "queer theory," then it is queer theory done absolutely right. Ladenson's analyses of traditional readings of lesbianism in the novel as transposed male homosexuality, of the dissymmetry between Sodom and Gomorrah in the novel, of voyeurism, of the evolution of Proust's treatment of lesbianism, and finally, of the Narrator's place in the relation between is mother and grandmother, are brilliant. Highly recommended. I haven't read anything as intelligent and marvelously succinct as this in a long time.

Reading Adoption: Family and Difference in Fiction and Drama

Published in Hardcover by University of Michigan Press (2005-09-23)

Author: Marianne Novy

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Reading Adoption: Just the book I was looking for!

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-07

Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? These labor intensive identity questions take a lifetime to answer. For adopted persons, sharing nature and nurture with two mothers and two fathers, responses are often more complicated. Fiction and drama involving adopted people have provided conscious and unconscious answers, advice and role models to deal with such complex family situations over the centuries.
In Reading Adoption: Family and Difference in Fiction and Drama, Marianne Novy, an adopted person who is a Professor of English and Women's Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, gives astute commentary about adoption literature from Oedipus to the novels of Barbara Kingsolver. As a sensitive memorist, Dr. Novy also reveals how adoption literature has enhanced and sometimes hindered her own search for self-definition. This author's goal is to "more of the next generation of adopttes to feel less alone" and to make adopted parents aware (through literature) of the stuggles necessary to meeting their children's needs.
If you love reading, if you are connected to the world of adoption, if you crave making connections between literature and drama and people's interior lives, this is the book you are looking for. As an English teacher and parent by adoption, I found it spoke directly to both my professional expertise and to my personal experiences. I applaud Marianne Novy for her fair, generous and interesting book, the work of a gifted scholar and mature daughter.

A breath of fresh air

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-12

Marianne Novy's "Reading Adoption" is a breath of fresh air in the dismal swamp of sentimentalism and sloppy journalism that characterizes too much of adoption literature, both pro-adoption and pro-adoption reform. Ms. Novy, a professor of English Literature and an adopted person, intersperses her own story with examples of adoption and illegitimacy in literature, from such diverse sources as Shakespeare, Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, Barbara Kingsolver, and Edward Albee. Her examples range from Tom Jones to The Diary of Brigid Jones, from Oedipus to Carol Schafer's Sacred Virgin. She discusses both familiar favorites, and those new to some of us that makes us want to look into them, or to look at old favorites with a fresh viewpoint.

Unlike many adopted persons who have written their stories, when Ms. Novy found her birthmother and family, she did not find soul mates or people with whom she had a great deal in common, even though she was welcomed and values the ongoing relationship she has with them. She wrote, " There are two simple views that public discourse about adoption falls into too easily. One is the view that only adoptive relationships matter; the other view is that only birth relationships matter. Some people have articulated a third viewpoint, that both matter but probably in different ways, that it depends on the circumstances, that adoptees have a choice about how to negotiate their identity and their relationships. But this approach still is not as widespread as it should be. I hope that this book, by analyzing places in literature where simplifications are found and places where they are transcended, will show more people how their world looks with a third view."

Marianne Novy admirably succeeds in doing this, and illuminates the tension between families, birth and adoptive, that is always there, and is always much more complex than the all-nature or all-nurture camps try to make it. She makes us all question our dearly held myths and icons. By not accepting without comment either the "forever family" fairytales beloved of many adoptive parents, or the reunion fairytales beloved of many birthmothers and adoption reformers, she makes all of us think, not just feel, and she stretches our imagination to encompass the complexity and diversity of adoptees and adoption as it is lived.

This is a groundbreaking book that should be read and discussed by all who are touched by adoption.

Mary Anne Cohen
Feb.2006

Rejoycing: New Readings of Dubliners (Irish Literature, History and Culture)

Published in Hardcover by University Press of Kentucky (1998-06)

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I thought I had it down, more-or-less...

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Review Date: 2008-06-07

Dubliners is an easy read, probably easier than Portrait, but these essays sprout up new layers to these stories and surprises us that the very skeleton of Joyce's structure is a story on its own. As for myself, I figured I had a finely tuned understanding of all the stories (except for Grace, as that one ran dry for me, but as I will explain in just a bit, I have formed a new respect for the story), but Rejoycing gives us a new apprehension of each one. Each story may have a point, despite how inconclusive many of the endings are, yet with the explanations given by these essays we are given a stronger context that remarks on society, modes of writing, characters affecting the narrative, etc etc.

This is really helpful for understanding Ulysses as well, as many of the essays discuss the connections between the characters appearances in both novels. The essayists discuss the interesting behaviors of characters, such as Cunningham and Bloom, and the stasis of their reappearance in Ulysses. Also, the narrative structure is examined, in that, characters, who domineer the language of the narration are shown to do so as well in Ulysses.

I may not be a Joycean scholar, but I couldn't imagine that these essays wouldn't shed a new light on Dubliners. As for students or first-timers, I'd wager this is a fantastic source for writing papers. I wish I had this last semester when I was actually assigned to read "the Dead" and Portrait of the Artist.

Your first and final commentary opening these deceptively simple yet infinite and fathomless short stories.

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-19

Your first and (never) final friend and companion to the Dubliners,

This collection of fourteen scholarly essays (plus introduction and preface) provides not only the best basis for beginning appreciation of these still revolutionary short stories, but remains solid assistance for advanced readings of these subtle, elusive, shifting tales.

The Dubliners are called the most accessible of Joyce's work, yet the first essay in this collection quickly dispels this error in judgment, as it unfolds the hidden depths and embryonic techniques which bloomed in his later work. What we see upon the surface of these tales is not trustworthy, but open to a myriad of interpretation. Joyce's clever ambiguity has provided a wide spectrum of readings of his short stories, according to the reader's sense and sensibilities, prejudices and presumptions, of which the reader herself may not be fully conscious. As with Wilde's criticism, we often see in Joyce, particularly in these sparse stories, our own image and likeness believing we are reading as the author wrote. This collection of commentary well relieves us of this accident of parallax.

Please review these commentaries for a brilliant glimpse at Joyce's early writings and his tentative trial of narrative techniques later so maturely elaborated in Ulysses. Even a long time reader of Joyce learns much from this collection of essays, as the work of Joyce always holds more to reveal, and these studies are excellent in opening for us further dimensions in this deceptively complex early tales.

Highly recommended for beginning and advanced readers of Joyce, most recent, valuable and substantial of any commentary upon this collection of tales, and indicator of further study.

The Remarkable Case of Dorothy L. Sayers

Published in Paperback by Kent State University Press (1991-11)

Author: Catherine Kenney

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Remarkable Insights into Dorothy L. Sayers

Helpful Votes: 12 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 1999-12-12

As a long time admirer of the writings of Dorothy L. Sayers, I found Ms. Kenney's book to be highly insightful--both on Sayers the writer and Sayers the woman. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best book written on Sayers and is a "must" for anyone who enjoys her works.

Inspiring reading!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-31

A beautiful look at the life and mind of Dorothy Sayers. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Dorothy L. Sayers.

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