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What is the role of the writer? Seer? Prophet? High Priest of Art? Court Jester? Or witness to the real world? With a light touch, underlined by seriousness, Margaret Atwood examines the metaphors which writers of fiction and poetry have used to explain - or excuse! - their activities.

Product Identifiers

PublisherCambridge University Press

ISBN-100521662605

ISBN-139780521662604

eBay Product ID (ePID)1908069

Product Key Features

Number of Pages248 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication NameNegotiating with the Dead : a Writer on Writing

Publication Year2002

SubjectAuthorship, European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh

TypeTextbook

Subject AreaLiterary Criticism, Language Arts & Disciplines

AuthorMargaret Atwood

SeriesThe Empson Lectures

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1 in

Item Weight12.9 Oz

Item Length8 in

Item Width5.4 in

Additional Product Features

LCCN2001-025135

Dewey Edition21

Reviews‘Consistently enlivening … Margaret Atwood’s excellent book performs [that] vital function … Her audience … would have had no hesitation in according her the distinguished status thus implied.’Spectator, ‘The most enjoyable aspect of the book is not, ultimately, any profound critical statement, but its author's refreshing display of erudition.’The Sunday Times, 'Consistently enlivening ... Margaret Atwood's excellent book performs [that] vital function ... Her audience ... would have had no hesitation in according her the distinguished status thus implied.' The Spectator, 'â€¦ a valuable metafictional commentary on Atwood's own writing.' British Journal of Canadian Studies, 'This interesting and compelling book is as wise as it is charming, and it is very charming indeed.' Washington Post Book World, ‘This interesting and compelling book is as wise as it is charming, and it is very charming indeed.’Washington Post Book World, '... finds its truth and its title in the insight that, whether the prose is deathless or merely breathless, the goad to all narrative is mortality.' San Antonio Express News, "...erudite and witty, down to earth while literary, insightful, and practical...As in her fiction, her brilliant thinking and sense of humour make this a joy to read...Negotiating with the Dead is Margaret Atwood at her best." Canadian Woman Studies, "Atwood deserves respect for her willingness to engage a wide readership in discussing the social meaning of literature, and she has undoubtedly created an accessible volume that will enable interested readers to follow up on the magnificent sources she has brought together." Janice Fiamengo, Canadian Literature, "The prominent woman of letters reworks a series of lectures into a cavalcade of intellectual insights." Wisconsin State Journal, 'This book shines like the sun or moon or whatever you like best in the shine line.If you have the slightest interest in fiction as reader or critic, get this book as soon as you can. If you are a writer, get it today.' Irish Times, '... a valuable metafictional commentary on Atwood's own writing.' British Journal of Canadian Studies, "[Atwood] has an uncanny knack for writing books that anticipate the popular preoccupations of her public." Dowagiac, MI News, "This is fine reading for all of us who believe that literature really matters." The American Review of Canadian Studies, 'The most enjoyable aspect of the book is not, ultimately, any profound critical statement, but its author's refreshing display of erudition.' The Sunday Times, 'Consistently enlivening â€¦ Margaret Atwood's excellent book performs [that] vital function â€¦ Her audience â€¦ would have had no hesitation in according her the distinguished status thus implied.' Spectator, '... a valuable metafictional commentary on Atwood's own writing.'British Journal of Canadian Studies, ‘This book shines like the sun or moon or whatever you like best in the shine line.If you have the slightest interest in fiction as reader or critic, get this book as soon as you can. If you are a writer, get it today.’Irish Times, "Because it is so richly textured, so intellectually complex, and so subtly structured, Negotiating with the Dead is a work that deserves a second reading and even a third. With this critical work, in which she identifies so clearly all the risks of her call but yet expresses her faith in its work, she has proven her mastery of another genre." Magill's Literary Annual, 'Consistently enlivening ... Margaret Atwood's excellent book performs [that] vital function ... Her audience ... would have had no hesitation in according her the distinguished status thus implied.' Spectator, ‘… finds its truth and its title in the insight that, whether the prose is deathless or merely breathless, the goad to all narrative is mortality.’San Antonio Express News, 'â€¦ finds its truth and its title in the insight that, whether the prose is deathless or merely breathless, the goad to all narrative is mortality.' San Antonio Express News, 'wearing Her Learning Lightly, Atwood Allows Her Wit to Shine on Almost Every Page.' Library Journal, "...the conversational tone, the personal anecdotes, and the brilliant references to myth and literature make this critical work by Margaret Atwood almost as fascinating as one of her novels." Magill Book Reviews, "Atwood's style glistens with sharp details and sly wit. The range of reference is deliciously eclectiv." Quill and Quire

Target AudienceTrade

Dewey Decimal808.3

Lc Classification NumberPr9199.3.A8 N44 2002

Table of ContentIntroduction; 1. Orientation: who do you think you are?; 2. Duplicity: the Jekyll hand, the Hyde hand, and the slippery double; 3. Dedication: the great god Pen; 4. Temptation: Prospero, the Wizard of Oz, Mephisto and Co; 5. Communion: nobody to nobody; 6. Descent: negotiating with the dead.

The Empson Lectures: Negotiating with the Dead : A Writer on Writing by Margaret Atwood (2002, Hardcover)

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