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The Erotics of Restraint

Essays on Literary Form
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( 19 ratings, 5 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Erotics of Restraint is a compelling essay collection by Douglas Glover that explores why we read, what makes a masterpiece, and the nature of narrative form. Blending his experience as an author with philosophy and literary criticism, Glover examines works by celebrated writers such as Alice Munro and Albert Camus. With a style that is erudite, inventive, and confessional, the essays dissect how storytelling resonates with the human psyche and why we love literature.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book will engage readers interested in literary form, philosophy, and the craft of writing. It is particularly suited to writers, students, and thoughtful readers who appreciate detailed criticism and the intricate workings of narrative.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A practical and illuminating collection of essays on writing and reading fiction, focusing on the relationship between form and theme.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Why do we read? What do we cherish in a book? What is the nature of a masterpiece? What do Alice Munro, Albert Camus, and the great Polish experimentalist Witold Gombrowicz have in common?

In the tradition of Nabokov, Calvino, and Kundera, Douglas Glover's new essay collection fuses his long experience as an author with his love of philosophy and his passion for form. Call it a new kind of criticism or an operator's manual for readers and writers, The Erotics of Restraint extends Glover's long and deeply personal conversation with great books and their authors.

With the same dazzling mix of emotion and idea that characterises his fiction, he dissects narrative and shows us how and why it works, why we love it, and how that makes us human. Erudite and obsessively detailed, inventive, confessional, and cheeky, these essays offer a brilliant clarity, a respite in an age of doubt. They raise the bar.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Critics praise Glover's deep and detailed analysis of fiction, comparing it to the study of quantum physics for its insight into storytelling's role in human understanding. Reviews highlight the collection as a fascinating journey through literature and philosophy, noting Glover's masterful grasp of narrative structure. His approach is described as eclectic, personal, and smart, setting a new direction for literary criticism.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781771962919

Publisher: Biblioasis

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 October 2019

Country: Canada

Imprint: Biblioasis

Illustration: Illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 133.0mm

Height: 209.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 224

About the Author

Douglas Glover has published four novels, five story collections, and three works of nonfiction. His novel Elle won the Governor-General's Award for Fiction and was a finalist for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. It was adapted for the stage by Severn Thompson and premiered at Theatre Passe Muraille in 2016. His short fiction has appeared in Best Canadian Stories and The Best American Short Stories. He edited the annual Best Canadian Stories from 1996 to 2006. He published the literary magazine Numero Cinq from 2010-2017.

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