The Irresponsible Self: On Laughter and the Novel (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780312424602)

James Wood has been called our best young critic. This is not true. He is our best critic; he thinks with a sublime ferocity.--Cynthia Ozick

Following the collection The Broken Estate--which established James Wood as the leading critic of his generation--The Irresponsible Self confirms Wood's preeminence, not only as a discerning judge but also as an appreciator of contemporary novels.

In twenty-three passionate, sparkling dispatches, he effortlessly connects his encyclopedic, passionate understanding of the literary canon with an equally earnest and appreciative view of the most discussed authors writing today, including Franzen, Pynchon, Rushdie, DeLillo, Naipaul, David Foster Wallace, and Zadie Smith.

This collection includes Wood's famous and controversial attack on hysterical realism, and his sensitive but unsparing examinations of White Teeth and Brick Lane. The Irresponsible Self is indispensable reading for anyone who cares about modern fiction.

Author: James Wood
ISBN-10: 0312424604
ISBN-13: 9780312424602
Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
Language: English
Published: 04/01/2005
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.40w x 1.00d

Review Citation(s):
New York Times 04/24/2005 pg. 28