What: Over several years, and through some trial and error, I've come to the realization that I like A.S. Byatt best in short chunks. That could be short stories, or it could be essays, like the ones here in On Histories and Stories. In this small collection, Byatt examines several aspects of contemporary postmodern fiction, including its incorporation of natural sciences, historical fiction, and myths.
Comparable to: Your favorite English lit professor.
Representative quote: "We narrate ourselves to each other in bars and beds."
You might not like it if: You don't read in order to think about reading.
How to get it: Buy it or borrow it.
Connections to previous Wreckage: Consider these essays part of a continuing series on getting the university education you wish you'd had. Check out Opening Skinner's Box (Rec. #28) for Experimental Psych 101, The Rituals of Dinner (Rec. #63) for Social Anthropology 302, Sontag & Kael: Opposites Attract Me (Rec. #89) for extra credit in Critical Studies, and The Journalist and the Murderer (Rec. #114) for Journalism 201: Ethics.
No comments:
Post a Comment