Items related to Gossip: The Untrivial Pursuit
To his successful examinations of some of the most powerful forces in
modern life—envy, ambition, snobbery, friendship—the keen observer
and critic Joseph Epstein now adds Gossip. No trivial matter,
despite its reputation, gossip, he argues, is an eternal and necessary
human enterprise. Proving that he himself is a master of the art,
Epstein serves up delightful mini-biographies of the Great Gossips of
the Western World along with many choice bits from his own experience.
He also makes a powerful case that gossip has morphed from its
old-fashioned best—clever, mocking, a great private pleasure—to a
corrosive new-school version, thanks to the reach of the mass media and
the Internet. Gossip has invaded and changed for the worse politics and
journalism, causing unsubstantiated information to be presented as fact.
Contemporary gossip claims to reveal truth, but as Epstein shows, it's
our belief in truth that gossip today threatens to undermine and
destroy. Written in his trademark erudite and witty style, Gossip captures the complexity of this immensely entertaining subject.
modern life—envy, ambition, snobbery, friendship—the keen observer
and critic Joseph Epstein now adds Gossip. No trivial matter,
despite its reputation, gossip, he argues, is an eternal and necessary
human enterprise. Proving that he himself is a master of the art,
Epstein serves up delightful mini-biographies of the Great Gossips of
the Western World along with many choice bits from his own experience.
He also makes a powerful case that gossip has morphed from its
old-fashioned best—clever, mocking, a great private pleasure—to a
corrosive new-school version, thanks to the reach of the mass media and
the Internet. Gossip has invaded and changed for the worse politics and
journalism, causing unsubstantiated information to be presented as fact.
Contemporary gossip claims to reveal truth, but as Epstein shows, it's
our belief in truth that gossip today threatens to undermine and
destroy. Written in his trademark erudite and witty style, Gossip captures the complexity of this immensely entertaining subject.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Book Description:
HMH Hardcover, 2011ISBN: 978-0-618-72194-8
From the Back Cover:
“I am pleased to report that I am neither quoted nor even mentioned in the act of effrontery called Gossip: The Untrivial Pursuit. I have been given to understand that, owing to his interest in such subjects touching on human nature as ambition, envy, snobbery, and friendship, on innumerable occasions its author, Joseph Epstein, has been called ‘the American Montaigne.’ This is a comparison I consider slanderous, for it would render me the French Joseph Epstein. Ridicule, n’est-ce pas?”—Michel de Montaigne
“Discretion, it needs to be said, is not Mr. Epstein’s hallmark, as in Gossip he blithely recounts the foibles of many of the famous of his time. Yet of his own lengthy and much-gossiped-about relationship with the Italian cinema actress Sophia Loren, the scandal behind his winning three equestrian gold medals in the past Olympic games, and his rather pathetic pretensions as pretender to the long-vacated throne of Portugal, he provides not a word. Odd, most odd, and yet the reader must not let this strange lapse to detract from what is otherwise a most amusing and bountiful little volume.”—Louis de Rouvroy, Duc de Saint-Simon
“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. North America and all the ships at sea . . . Let’s go to press . . . Advance copies of pseudo-intellectual scribbler Joe Epstein’s new book on gossip, with its ill-researched tirade against the career of Mrs. Winchell’s little boy, went out late last week to leaders of Al Qaeda in Pakistan, Yemen, and Miami Beach, where it will find the anti-American readers it so richly deserves.”—Walter Winchell
“Discretion, it needs to be said, is not Mr. Epstein’s hallmark, as in Gossip he blithely recounts the foibles of many of the famous of his time. Yet of his own lengthy and much-gossiped-about relationship with the Italian cinema actress Sophia Loren, the scandal behind his winning three equestrian gold medals in the past Olympic games, and his rather pathetic pretensions as pretender to the long-vacated throne of Portugal, he provides not a word. Odd, most odd, and yet the reader must not let this strange lapse to detract from what is otherwise a most amusing and bountiful little volume.”—Louis de Rouvroy, Duc de Saint-Simon
“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. North America and all the ships at sea . . . Let’s go to press . . . Advance copies of pseudo-intellectual scribbler Joe Epstein’s new book on gossip, with its ill-researched tirade against the career of Mrs. Winchell’s little boy, went out late last week to leaders of Al Qaeda in Pakistan, Yemen, and Miami Beach, where it will find the anti-American readers it so richly deserves.”—Walter Winchell
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherTantor Audio
- Publication date2011
- ISBN 10 1452635463
- ISBN 13 9781452635460
- BindingAudio CD
- Rating
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