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Bibliographic Detail
Publisher
Stanford Univ Pr
Publication date
April 4, 2012
Pages
273
Binding
Hardcover
Book category
Adult Non-Fiction
ISBN-13
9780804780513
ISBN-10
080478051X
Dimensions
0.75 by 6.50 by 9.50 in.
Weight
1.15 lbs.
Original list price
$80.00
Other format details
university press
Amazon.com says people who bought this book also bought:
Narrative and Freedom | Anna Karenina in Our Time | The Words of Others
Narrative and Freedom | Anna Karenina in Our Time | The Words of Others
Summaries and Reviews
Amazon.com description: Product Description:
Brevity may be the soul of wit, but it is also much more. In this exploration of the shortest literary worksâwise sayings, proverbs, witticisms, sardonic observations about human nature, pithy evocations of mystery, terse statements regarding ultimate questionsâGary Saul Morson argues passionately for the importance of these short genres not only to scholars but also to general readers.
We are fascinated by how brief works evoke a powerful sense of life in a few words, which is why we browse quotation anthologies and love to repeat our favorites. Arguing that all short genres are short in their own way, Morson explores the unique form of brevity that each of them develops. Apothegms (Heraclitus, Lao Tzu, Wittgenstein) describe the universe as ultimately unknowable, offering not answers but ever deeper questions. Dicta (Spinoza, Marx, Freud) create the sense that unsolvable enigmas have at last been resolved. Sayings from sages and sacred texts assure us that goodness is rewarded, while sardonic maxims (Ecclesiastes, Nietzsche, George Eliot) uncover the self-deceptions behind such comforting illusions. Just as witticisms display the power of mind, "witlessisms" (William Spooner, Dan Quayle, the persona assumed by Mark Twain) astonish with their spectacular stupidity.
Nothing seems further from these short works than novels and epics, but the shortest genres often set the tone for longer ones, which, in turn, contain brilliant examples of short forms. Morson shows that short genres contribute important insights into the history of literature and philosophical thought. Once we grasp the role of aphorisms in Herodotus, Samuel Johnson, Dostoevsky, and even Tolstoy, we see their masterpieces in an entirely new light.
We are fascinated by how brief works evoke a powerful sense of life in a few words, which is why we browse quotation anthologies and love to repeat our favorites. Arguing that all short genres are short in their own way, Morson explores the unique form of brevity that each of them develops. Apothegms (Heraclitus, Lao Tzu, Wittgenstein) describe the universe as ultimately unknowable, offering not answers but ever deeper questions. Dicta (Spinoza, Marx, Freud) create the sense that unsolvable enigmas have at last been resolved. Sayings from sages and sacred texts assure us that goodness is rewarded, while sardonic maxims (Ecclesiastes, Nietzsche, George Eliot) uncover the self-deceptions behind such comforting illusions. Just as witticisms display the power of mind, "witlessisms" (William Spooner, Dan Quayle, the persona assumed by Mark Twain) astonish with their spectacular stupidity.
Nothing seems further from these short works than novels and epics, but the shortest genres often set the tone for longer ones, which, in turn, contain brilliant examples of short forms. Morson shows that short genres contribute important insights into the history of literature and philosophical thought. Once we grasp the role of aphorisms in Herodotus, Samuel Johnson, Dostoevsky, and even Tolstoy, we see their masterpieces in an entirely new light.
Editions
Hardcover
The price comparison is for this edition
from Stanford Univ Pr (April 4, 2012)
9780804780513 | details & prices | 273 pages | 6.50 × 9.50 × 0.75 in. | 1.15 lbs | List price $80.00
About: Brevity may be the soul of wit, but it is also much more.
About: Brevity may be the soul of wit, but it is also much more.
Paperback
from Stanford Univ Pr (April 4, 2012)
9780804781695 | details & prices | 273 pages | 6.25 × 9.25 × 0.75 in. | 0.95 lbs | List price $24.95
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