{"product_id":"the-moral-obligation-to-be-lionel-trilling-9780810124882","title":"The Moral Obligation to Be Intelligent: Selected Essays","description":"\u003cp\u003eBringing together the thoughts of one of American literature's sharpest cultural critics, this compendium will open the eyes of a whole new audience to the work of Lionel Trilling. Trilling was a strenuous thinker who was proud to think \"too much.\" As an intellectual he did not spare his own kind, and though he did not consider himself a rationalist, he was grounded in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis collection features 32 of Trilling's essays on a range of topics, from Jane Austen to George Orwell and from the Kinsey Report to \u003ci\u003eLolita\u003c\/i\u003e. Also included are Trilling's seminal essays \"Art and Neurosis\" and \"Manners, Morals, and the Novel.\" Many of the pieces made their initial appearances in periodicals such as \u003ci\u003eThe Partisan Review\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eCommentary\u003c\/i\u003e; most were later reprinted in essay collections. This new gathering of his writings demonstrates again Trilling's patient, thorough style. Considering \"the problems of life\"--in art, literature, culture, and intellectual life--was, to him, a vital occupation, even if he did not expect to get anything as simple or encouraging as \"answers.\" The intellectual journey was the true goal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo matter the subject, Trilling's arguments come together easily, as if constructing complicated defenses and attacks were singularly simple for his well-honed mind. The more he wrote on a subject and the more intricate his reasoning, the more clear that subject became; his elaboration is all function and no filler. Wrestling with Trilling's challenging work still yields rewards today, his ideas speaking to issues that transcend decades and even centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Lionel Trilling\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0810124882\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780810124882\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Northwestern University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/05\/2009\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 592\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.45lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.10h x 5.70w x 1.30d","brand":"Lionel Trilling","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44049874878719,"sku":"9780810124882","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_864a900b-8f3a-448c-9920-4af9d03702f9.jpg?v=1685003905","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-moral-obligation-to-be-lionel-trilling-9780810124882","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}