or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
47 used & new from £2.76

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Meaning of Life: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
 
 

The Meaning of Life: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

by Terry Eagleton (Author)
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £4.77 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £3.22 (40%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, November 17? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
37 new from £2.76 10 used from £2.79

Special Offers and Product Promotions


Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate (Terry Lectures) by Terry Eagleton

The Meaning of Life: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) + Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate (Terry Lectures)
Price For Both: £18.09

Show availability and delivery details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate (Terry Lectures)

Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate (Terry Lectures)

by Terry Eagleton
4.0 out of 5 stars (6)  £13.32
Science and Religion: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Science and Religion: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

by Thomas Dixon
4.8 out of 5 stars (5)  £4.77
How to Read a Poem

How to Read a Poem

by Terry Eagleton
3.4 out of 5 stars (5)  £9.59
The Gospels (Revolutions Series)

The Gospels (Revolutions Series)

by Jesus Christ
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £5.48
Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

by Susan Blackmore
4.3 out of 5 stars (9)  £4.77
Explore similar items

Product details


Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   The Meaning of Life opens new browser window
www.ForPersonalHelp.com  -  The Definitive Answer. Really. 
  
 

Product Description

Guardian, 30.12.06

'Eagleton's new book, breezily entitled The Meaning of Life' --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


Review

A charming personal voyage round himself, I can only say it left me thoroughly surprised - and delighted. (Simon Jenkins, TLS Books of the Year )

wonders never cease. This is popular philosophy by an amateur in the best sense of the word, a man who clearly loves the stuff and writes plain English...[Eagleton] makes his case well and with a light touch. (Simon Jenkins, The Guardian (Review) )

It is a stimulating and often entertaining, if at times rather breathless, Cook's tour around the chief monuments of western philosophy and literature...The Meaning of Life is unusual and refreshing. (John Gray, The Independent )

The book's a little gem. (Suzanne Harrington, Irish Examiner (Cork) )

A lively starting point for late-night debate. (John Cornwell, Sunday Times )

Warm intellectual pleasure...meticulous treatment of the subject...It looks like Eagleton got it right. (Mario Pisani, The Financial Times )

His witty eclecticism is perfect for such a lofty subject (Leopold Froehlich, Playboy )

It dazzles...

The name Terry Eagleton...assures us of stimulation, style, sparkling, sometimes acerbic, wit, and wide-ranging erudition. In other words he is eminently readable...[a] commendably pocket-sized book. (Gordon Parsons, Morning Star ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Meaning of Life: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
74% buy the item featured on this page:
The Meaning of Life: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) 3.2 out of 5 stars (5)
£4.77
Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate (Terry Lectures)
12% buy
Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate (Terry Lectures) 4.0 out of 5 stars (6)
£13.32
Nothing: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
5% buy
Nothing: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
£4.77
What's it All About?: Philosophy and the Meaning of Life
5% buy
What's it All About?: Philosophy and the Meaning of Life 4.7 out of 5 stars (7)
£5.18

 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars A struggle, 16 April 2009
I tried my utmost to read this book till the end, but found my eyes would glaze over. I barely made it to the end and the experience was not pleasant.
Maybe it is the fault of trying to cram too many ideas into too small a book. These ideas lack a sufficient introduction/explanation and the experience was like attending a high level lecture in a subject I had no familiarity with. Disappointing as this was supposed to be an 'introduction'.
I didn't personally feel as if the author made much effort to clarify anything he was talking about and the text seemed to regularly bounce from subject to seemingly unrelated subject without any solid conclusion being produced.
Maybe I am being a bit harsh. If you are already well read in philosophy and the other subjects touched upon in the book, then this may well be a good summary.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Smoke and Mirrors, 6 Oct 2009
Those familiar with Eagleton's work will find nothing here that has not been covered in his other books, and will encounter the same articulate but often glib survey of modern thought, with a line up of the usual suspects - Heidegger, Freud, Marx etc. And once again you cannot escape the odd sensation of an intellect that ranges comfortably across the cultural terrain of contmporary thinking without really offering something original and incisive that engages in a truely productive or creative way with any of the ideas discussed. There is always the nagging suspicion that the author has gleaned his knowledge of these various titans of modern thought from other sources and has somehow managed to avoid the actual tedious business of reading these great bores.
And this seems to me Eagleton's great talent - the lucid reduction or distillation of obscure and impenetrable verbage into entertaining and readable prose.

Perhaps the short commings are due to the nature of the work - a brief survey rather than an a unique contribution to the subject - whatever the subject might be. But isn't this yet another 'survey' from Eagleton, which as readable and entertaining as it is, does not offer anything that has not been covered in his other works.

It is true of course that there is no answer to 'the meaning of life' but this is not the point, no one would seriously expect an answer, but what they might expect is something less glib and knowing, that avoids the self satisfied tone that reduces everything to a nudge nudge, wink wink, we know better leftist sneer. Of course Eagleton's Marxism is less evident than it once was, it seems even he has realised this was an ideology long past it's sell by date. Those unfamiliar with Eagleton's oeurve will find this a succinct introduction to his modus operandi.







Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly engaging and beautifully succinct, 1 Sep 2009
By H Raz (London, UK) - See all my reviews
Terry Eagleton writes in a very readable style conveying complex, deep issues in a way that is very accessible. Highly intelligent, clever and witty, this Very Short Introduction to arguably the biggest of all questions does an amazing job of answering it, if "answering" is the right word. Eagleton remains credible throughout, never resting on easy standpoints and never afraid to either praise or criticise different philosophies and movements for their pros and cons, and he never slips into simplistic reductionist explanations. Highly recommended!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A good read but rather biased and narrow for such a topic
For such a large topic in so few pages it is well-written and entertaining. It poses many of the questions regarding this topic very well and gives some good insights into the... Read more
Published 24 days ago by Keith Savitri

5.0 out of 5 stars A decent read
While written as an introduction to 'the meaning of life', this book also attempts to entertain with the odd candid remark and a whistle stop tour of great thinkers' views on the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Tufty

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.