{"product_id":"chic-ironic-bitterness-r-jay-magill-9780472116218","title":"Chic Ironic Bitterness","description":"\u003cp\u003eA brilliant and timely reflection on irony in contemporary American culture\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"This book is a powerful and persuasive defense of sophisticated irony and subtle humor that contributes to the possibility of a genuine civic trust and democratic life. R. Jay Magill deserves our congratulations for a superb job!\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e--Cornel West, University Professor, Princeton University\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A well-written, well-argued assessment of the importance of irony in contemporary American social life, along with the nature of recent misguided attacks and, happily, a deep conviction that irony is too important in our lives to succumb. The book reflects wide reading, varied experience, and real analytical prowess.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e--Peter Stearns, Provost, George Mason University\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Somehow, Americans--a pragmatic and colloquial lot, for the most part--are now supposed to speak the Word, without ironic embellishment, in order to rebuild the civic culture. So irony's critics decide it has become 'worthy of \u003ci\u003emoral\u003c\/i\u003e condemnation.' Magill pushes back against this new conventional wisdom, eloquently defending a much livelier American sensibility than the many apologists for a somber 'civic culture' could ever acknowledge.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e--William Chaloupka, Chair and Professor, Department of Political Science, Colorado State University\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe events of 9\/11 had many pundits on the left and right scrambling to declare an end to the Age of Irony. But six years on, we're as ironic as ever. From \u003ci\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eSimpsons\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBorat\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eDaily Show\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eColbert Report\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e, the ironic worldview measures out a certain cosmopolitan distance, keeping hypocrisy and threats to personal integrity at bay.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eChic Ironic Bitterness\u003c\/i\u003e is a defense of this detachment, an attitude that helps us preserve values such as authenticity, sincerity, and seriousness that might otherwise be lost in a world filled with spin, marketing, and jargon. And it is an effective counterweight to the prevailing conservative view that irony is the first step toward cynicism and the breakdown of Western culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eR. Jay Magill, Jr., is a writer and illustrator whose work has appeared in \u003ci\u003eAmerican Prospect, American Interest, Atlantic Monthly, Foreign Policy, International Herald Tribune, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, \u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003ePrint, \u003c\/i\u003eamong\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eother periodicals and books. A former Harvard Teaching Fellow and Executive Editor of \u003ci\u003eDoubleTake\u003c\/i\u003e, he holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Hamburg in Germany. This is his first book.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e R. Jay Magill\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0472116215\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780472116218\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Michigan Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/2007\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 296\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.29lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.71h x 6.50w x 0.99d","brand":"R. Jay Magill","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48086705963263,"sku":"9780472116218","price":44.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_3ba84bc1-e8f1-4c88-89b3-caba558e0653.jpg?v=1769096105","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/chic-ironic-bitterness-r-jay-magill-9780472116218","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}