The Fun Stuff, In Praise of Wayne Booth

Couple of links to writing of mine appearing elsewhere this week. First off, my critical appraisal of James Wood’s latest collection of literary fiction, The Fun Stuff, appearing at The Barnes & Noble Review.

And secondly, the University of Chicago Press asked me to write an appreciation of one of its authors for its blog. Without any hesitation I volunteered Wayne Booth, a critic anyone will benefit from reading. Booth wrote two incredible books on the art of fiction—The Rhetoric of Fiction and A Rhetoric of Irony—in addition to sundry other books that should continue to be read. The book I focus on for U of C is Modernist Dogma and the Rhetoric of Assent, which I think is hugely relevant to our own belief-seeking, post-ironic, newly sincere times.

Incidentally, the book has one of the best cover photos I can remember seeing, ever. It was the photo (plus Booth’s name, obviously) that got me to pick up the book to begin with. When that copy (a discard at a library booksale) proved full of highlighter marks and mold (not to mention a cracking spine), I persevered and found another copy. And I’m a better person for having done so.

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