Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau, Barbara Wright ISBN: 0-8112-0789-7 Publisher: New Directions Publishing Pub. Date: February, 1981 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.53 (17 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Great and if you liked this. . .
Comment: I have always found this book to be fascinating and the perfect case for the argument of style/versus content. My classes have ended up screaming at each other in lively discussion of which of the two elements is more important and this book always provides a great catalyst for that discussion. I have, however, had students complain that this book is a little dry so if you are looking for another great book that accomplishes a very similar argument but seems to hold my class's interest better, try The Author by Hillary DePiano. I haven't seen it on Amazon yet but I know it is available here: http://www.lulu.com/content/15149
Rating: 5
Summary: The art of wordplay
Comment: I encountered "these exercises" for the first time 25 years ago. After a long trip we arrived at a friend abroad. Since alcohol had an all but positive effect on a couple of visiting family members, the theatrically very gifted host decided to pull a translation of Queneau's work off the shelve and to control the unruly crowd by reading/performing this entire work. It was a blast!
After coming across an essay mentioning that Queneau's encounter with Bach's art of the fugue prompted these linguistic style exercises, I picked up an original copy while visiting the city of light and have had many joyful reencounters since.
Together with Perec' "e-less" la Disparation, Queneau's "Exercises" remains the most popular Oulipo work. While I think that Queneau's influence on literature can be best compared to Schoenberg's invention of serialism in music, his exercises have the quick wit of a jolly Mozart. The work is light-hearted and entertaining, yet of significant substance. While Witgenstein's "Tractatus Logico Philosophicus" remains a hallmark in the analysis of the possibilities and limitations of language, it is dry and requires a significant investment of time and effort. The opposite is true for this book: even those not interested in the finer points of composition, grammar and syntax can still enjoy this virtuosic delight.
Previous reviewers have already mentioned that this book should be read aloud. Having had a "performance introduction" to the work, I fully agree. Thanks to Queneau's talent and wit, even upon repeated reading the text only gets funnier and funnier.
Rating: 5
Summary: Read this out loud
Comment: This is not a poignant love story, nor is it a sad haunting tale. It is simply a silly story told 99 different times. It explores language and expressions so well, it amazes me that it is a translation. If you read it out loud to an audience you will get the joke and discover how truly funny and clever this book is.
 |
Title: Life: A User's Manual by Georges Perec, David Bellos ISBN: 0879237511 Publisher: David R Godine Pub. Date: September, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
 |
Title: Oulipo: A Primer of Potential Literature by Warren F. Motte, Italo Calvino, Harry Mathews ISBN: 1564781879 Publisher: Dalkey Archive Pr Pub. Date: May, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
 |
Title: Species of Spaces and Other Pieces (Twentieth Century Classics) by Georges Perec, John (Editor & Translator) Sturrock ISBN: 0140189866 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: August, 1998 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
 |
Title: Zazie in the Metro (Penguin Classics) by Raymond Queneau, Barbara Wright, Gilbert Adair ISBN: 0142180041 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 30 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
 |
Title: Eunoia by Christian Bok, Christian Bök ISBN: 1552450929 Publisher: Coach House Books Pub. Date: September, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
