American Audacity: Literary Essays North and South
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Benfey, Christopher E. G., PUBLISHER: University of Michigan Press, One of ong>theong> foremost critics in contemporary American letters, Christopher Benfey has long been known for his brilliant ong>andong> incisive ong>essaysong>. Appearing in such publications as ong>theong> "ong>Newong> York Review of Books," ong>theong> "ong>Newong> Republic," ong>andong> ong>theong> "Times Literary Supplement," Benfey's writings have helped us reimagine ong>theong> American literary canon. In American Audacity, Benfey gaong>theong>rs his finest writings on eminent American authors (including Emerson, Dickinson, Whitman, Millay, Faulkner, Frost, ong>andong> Welty), bringing to his subjects---as ong>theong> "ong>Newong> York Times Book Review" has said of his earlier work---"a scholar's thoroughness, a critic's astuteness ong>andong> a storyteller's sense of drama." Although Benfey's interests range from art to literature to social history, this collection focuses on particular American writers ong>andong> ong>theong> various ways in which an American identity ong>andong> culture inform ong>theong>ir work. Broken into three sections, "Norong>theong>rners," "Souong>theong>rners," ong>andong> "ong>Theong> Union Reconsidered," American Audacity explores a variety of canonical works, old (Emerson, Dickinson, Millay, Whitman), modern (Faulkner, Dos Passos), ong>andong> more contemporary (Gary Snyder, E. L. Doctorow). Christopher Benfey is ong>theong> author of numerous highly regarded books, including "Emily Dickinson: Lives of a Poet"; "ong>Theong> Double Life of Stephen Crane"; "Degas in ong>Newong> Orleans: Encounters in ong>theong> Creole World of Kate Chopin ong>andong> George Washington Cable"; ong>andong>, most recently, "ong>Theong> Great Wave: Gilded Age Misfits, Japanese Eccentrics, ong>andong> ong>theong> Opening of Old Japan"; ong>andong> "A Summer of Hummingbirds." Benfey's poems have appeared in ong>theong> "Paris Review," "Pequod," ong>andong> "Ploughshares." He has held fellowships from ong>theong> Guggenheim Foundation, ong>theong> National Endowment for ong>theong> Humanities, ong>andong> ong>theong> American Council of Learned Societies. Currently he is Mellon Professor of English at Mount Holyoke College."A gifted literary historian ong>andong> critic." ---"ong>Theong> ong>Newong> York Review of Books" "Longer than book reviews ong>andong> shorter than lengthy reappraisals of a poet or critic, ong>theong> individual ong>essaysong> exhibit a confident, if modest, touch... His unadorned sentences... will encourage readers to buy books by ong>theong> bibliographers ong>andong> scholars he reviews as well as return readers to ong>theong> audacious figures that comprise America's literary history." ---Larry T. Shillock, "Bloomsbury Review" "In its vigorous ong>andong> original criticism of American writers, Christopher Benfey's "American Audacities" displays its own audacities on every page." ---William H. Pritchard