The Edge of the Precipice: Why Read Literature in the Digital Age? - Hardcover

Socken, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0773541780 ISBN 13: 9780773541788

Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2013

Synopsis

Can a case be made for reading literature in the digital age? Does literature still matter in this era of instant information? Is it even possible to advocate for serious, sustained reading with all manner of social media distracting us, fragmenting our concentration, and demanding short, rapid communication? In The Edge of the Precipice, Paul Socken brings together a thoughtful group of writers, editors, philosophers, librarians, archivists, and literary critics from Canada, the US, France, England, South Africa, and Australia to contemplate the state of literature in the twenty-first century. Including essays by outstanding contributors such as Alberto Manguel, Mark Kingwell, Lori Saint-Martin, Sven Birkerts, Katia Grubisic, Drew Nelles, and J. Hillis Miller, this collection presents a range of perspectives about the importance of reading literature today. The Edge of the Precipice is a passionate, articulate, and entertaining collection that reflects on the role of literature in our society and asks if it is now under siege. Contributors include Michael Austin (Newman University), Sven Birkerts (author), Stephen Brockmann (Carnegie-Mellon University), Vincent Giroud (University of Franche-Comté), Katia Grubisic (poet), Mark Kingwell (University of Toronto), Alberto Manguel (author), J. Hillis Miller (University of California, Irvine), Drew Nelles (editor-in-chief, Maisonneuve), Keith Oatley (University of Toronto), Ekaterina Rogatchevskaia (British Library), Leonard Rosmarin (Brock University), Lori Saint-Martin (translator, Université du Québec à Montréal), Paul Socken (University of Waterloo), and Gerhard van der Linde (University of South Africa).

About this title

About the Author

Paul Socken is distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of French Studies at the University of Waterloo.

From the Back Cover

"This is an excellent collection – the stuff we need for the notion of the 'public intellectual' to thrive: well-written pieces informed by professional knowledge yet incorporating personal experience. It doesn't pretend to be encyclopedic, but it takes u

From the Inside Flap

"This is an excellent collection ? the stuff we need for the notion of the 'public intellectual' to thrive: well-written pieces informed by professional knowledge yet incorporating personal experience. It doesn't pretend to be encyclopedic, but it takes u

Edition details

• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0773541780
• ISBN 13: 9780773541788
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 244