{"product_id":"understanding-paul-auster-james-peacock-9781611170528","title":"Understanding Paul Auster","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eUnderstanding Paul Auster\u003c\/em\u003e is a comprehensive companion to the work of a writer who effectively balances a particular combination of Jewish American identity and European sensibility across an impressive breadth of novels, screenplays, essays, and poetry. James Peacock views Auster as chiefly concerned with the individual's problematic relationship with language, a theme present from the enigmatic poetry of Auster's early career to the more inclusive and optimistic imaginings of the films \u003cem\u003eSmoke\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBlue in the Face\u003c\/em\u003e and the novels \u003cem\u003eTimbuktu, The Brooklyn Follies, \u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eMan in the Dark\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeacock's study maps the evolution of Auster's fiction and its forms, goals, and influences. The key event for any Auster character is the realization that language should not be restricted to documenting reality but should instead be embraced for its metaphorical qualities and constantly shifting nature. The author finds in Auster a view of language as inherently ethical and communal because, to use language creatively, one must be immersed in the plurality of experience and listen to the voices of others. In celebrated works such as \u003cem\u003eThe Invention of Solitude\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe New York Trilogy\u003c\/em\u003e, these voices include Auster's literary antecedents. Increasingly in his recent work, however, they include those of ordinary people. Peacock suggests that, in the aftermath of 9\/11, much of Auster's fiction places even greater importance on sympathetic relations with ordinary individuals and advocates through artistic endeavors the merits of connecting with others.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e James Peacock\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1611170524\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781611170528\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of South Carolina Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/15\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 248\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.00h x 5.00w x 0.70d","brand":"James Peacock","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44068829462783,"sku":"9781611170528","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_1e04ccb5-048a-40ea-a969-bff4adfd886c.jpg?v=1685421237","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/understanding-paul-auster-james-peacock-9781611170528","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}