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On Literature
 
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On Literature (Hardcover)

by Umberto Eco (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 128 pages
  • Publisher: Secker & Warburg; New edition edition (6 Jan 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0436210177
  • ISBN-13: 978-0436210174
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 745,821 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #74 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > E > Eco, Umberto

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Product Description

Product Description
After the opening essay on the general significance of literature, Eco examines a number of major authors from the Western canon. A stimulating chapter on the poetic qualities of Dante's Paradiso is followed by one on the style of the Communist Manifesto. The next three essays centre on nineteenth- and early twentieth-century literature: one on the French writer Nerval's masterpiece, Sylvie (a major influence on Eco and a novella that he translated into Italian), one on Oscar Wilde's love of paradox, and one on Joyce's views on language. The last three pieces deal with the road that leads from Cervantes via Swift to Borges' Library of Babel, then an essay on Eco's own anxiety about Borges' influence on him, and the volume ends with an article on the enigmatic Italian critic and anthropologist Piero Camporesi. On Literature is a provocative and entertaining collection of sprightly essays on the key texts that have shaped Eco the novelist and critic. This volume will appeal to anyone interested in how new light is shed on old masters by a great contemporary mind.

From the Publisher
‘A man of robust intellect and genuine erudition…Eco sparkles’ Daily Telegraph --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Eco's take on literature, 30 April 2009
By Marco Colombo (Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: On Literature (Paperback)
This is a collection of essays written by Eco throughout his career, and presented at conferences or appeared on newspapers. Eco's take on literature is, as to be expected, personal and poignant.

The book opens on an essay on the purpose of literature, and touches topics as varied as Dante's 'Paradise', the style of the Communist Manifesto, Oscar Wilde's aphorisms, Nerval's setting of his short story 'Sylvie', and Jorge Luis Borges.
Being an international expert in semiotics, it is good to see essays on symbols, intertextual irony and myth. The book ends on a description on how he writes, with specific references to some of his novels.

The essays are not particularly difficult, and if you're interested in literature (in the largest possible sense) you will find them enjoyable.
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