by Alison Lurie
First published 2016
Alison Lurie turns her novelist's eye toward the writers who have captivated her across a century of literature. She explores the work of Henry James, Doris Lessing, John Updike, Mary McCarthy, Anthony Powell, Angela Carter, and Garrison Keillor, drawing on personal acquaintance with several of these authors. Lurie argues that the most compelling fiction weaves together seemingly contradictory elements. These writers blend tragic moments with comic relief, introduce supernatural occurrences alongside realistic social observation. What unites their diverse approaches is a fundamental quality that Lurie champions: they create books that readers genuinely enjoy. Her analysis reveals how serious literature can also be genuinely entertaining, challenging the false divide between literary merit and reading pleasure.
Genres: essays, american-fiction, 20th-century, biography-memoir, criticism, 21st-century, books-about-books, academic
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: literary-analysis
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
220 pages · Hardcover · Cayuga Lake Books