Author Description
This book is a defense of authorship--authorship whose public works proceed from and incorporate private lives. Examining the question of the presence of authors in their writings, and of certain authors in the writings of others, Miller focuses on the memorial writings of Louisa Stuart (1757-1851) and Primo Levi, and the work of a wide variety of other authors, including Cervantes, Samuel Richardson, V.S. Naipaul, Kingsley Amis, Peter Ackroyd, Milan Kundera, Ryszard Kapuscinski, and James Kelman. Originally published to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the London Review of Books, the book also touches on the opinions and idiosyncrasy of authors; imitation, replication, and pastiche; ghosts; Hamlet and its enduring popularity; recent authorial crises and case histories; and literary journalism.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the complex relationship between an author's private life and their public body of work, arguing that authorship is inherently tied to the personal experiences of the writer. Karl Miller, a prominent critic and founding editor of the London Review of Books, utilizes his extensive background in literary journalism to examine how authors manifest within their own texts and the texts of others. He constructs a framework that explores the intersection of memory, identity, and the act of writing through a series of analytical case studies.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Comparative analysis of memorial writings by Louisa Stuart and Primo Levi
- Discussions on literary concepts such as imitation, replication, and pastiche
- Examinations of authorial crises and the role of literary journalism
- Observations on the influence of ghosts and the enduring popularity of Hamlet
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide a comprehensive history of literature but focuses on specific case histories and idiosyncratic authorial examples
- It does not offer a prescriptive guide for writers but rather a descriptive analysis of authorial presence
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Critics and scholars often identify this text as a significant contribution to the study of literary biography and the nature of authorship. Readers frequently note the intellectual density of Miller's prose, which reflects his deep engagement with the history of the London Review of Books.
Page Count:
234
Publication Date:
1991-07-25
ISBN-10:
0192122770
ISBN-13:
9780192122773
Biography
Non-Fiction
Literary theory
Essays
Authorship
Literary Criticism