The William H. Gass Reader

**A literary delight--a reading feast; a Gassian celebration--the best of the best: more than fifty selections chosen by Gass himself from his essays, criticism, commentary, short stories, and novels.**It begins with his essays, in which Gass looks back at varying points in his writing life at those writers (from Plato, Hobbes, and James, to Joyce, Beckett, Stein, and Gaddis) whose work he found inspiring . . . and at those whose work he explores and embraces (Laurence Sterne's__Tristram Shandy;__Ford Madox Ford's__Parade's End;__Thomas Mann's__The Magic Mountain;__Stendhal's__The Red and the Black__). He writes (from__A Temple of Texts__) on the nature and value of writing ("The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words").Here is a rich experience of Gass's short fiction: from__Eyes__, his masterfully crafted novella, "In Camera," about collecting, hording; about suspicions run amok . . . from__Cartesian Sonata__. . . and__In the Heart of the Heart of the Country__(1968), a mythical reimagining of America's heartland.And from his nimble, daredevil novels:__Middle C__(2013), the chronicle of an Austrian-born man who, as a child with his mother, relocates to America's Midwest (Woodbine, Ohio), grows up a low-skilled amateur piano player to become a music professor at a small Bible college; his only hobby a fantasy life as the curator of his Inhumanity Museum . . . and from__The Tunnel__("The most beautiful, most complex, most disturbing novel to be published in my lifetime" --Michael Silverblatt,__Los Angeles Times__). A Literary Delight--a Reading Feast; A Gassian Celebration--the Best Of The Best (in More Than Fifty Selections) From An American Master Of Prose, Chosen By Gass Himself From His Essays, Criticism, Commentary, Short Stories, And Novels. It Begins With His Essays, In Which Gass Looks Back At Varying Points In His Writing Life At Those Writers (from Plato, Hobbes And James, To Joyce, Beckett, Stein, And Gaddis) Whose Work He Found Inspiring ... And At Those Whose Work He Explores And Embraces (laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy; Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End; Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain; Stendhal's The Red And The Black). He Writes (from A Temple Of Texts) On The Nature And Value Of Writing (the True Alchemists Do Not Change Lead Into Gold, He Writes In Fifty Literary Pillars, They Change The World Into Words). Here Is A Rich Experience Of Gass' Short Fiction: From Eyes, His Masterfully Crafted Novella, In Camera, About Collecting, Hording; About Suspicions Run Amok ... From Cartesian Sonata ... And In The Heart Of The Heart Of The Country, 1968, A Mythical Reimagining Of America's Heartland. And From His Nimble, Daredevil Novels: Middle C, 2013, The Chronicle Of An Austrian-born Man Who, As A Child With His Mother, Relocates To America's Midwest (woodbine, Ohio), Grows Up A Low-skilled Amateur Piano Player To Become A Music Professor At A Small Bible College; His Only Hobby A Fantasy Life As The Curator Of His Inhumanity Museum ... And From The Tunnel (the Most Beautiful, Most Complex, Most Disturbing Novel To Be Published In My Lifetime--michael Silverblatt, The Los Angeles Times). And Much More-- Introduction. Retrospection ; Fifty Literary Pillars ; On Reading To Oneself ; Even If, By All The Oxen In The World ; The Doomed In Their Sinking -- Omensetter's Luck. The Love And Sorrow Of Henry Pimber -- In The Heart Of The Heart Of The Country. The Pederson Kid ; Order Of Insects ; In The Heart Of The Heart Of The Country -- The Tunnel. The First Winter Of My Married Life ; An Invocation To The Muse ; In My Youth ; A Fugue ; August Bees ; The Sunday Drive -- Cartesian Sonata. Emma Enters A Sentence Of Elizabeth Bishop's -- Middle C. The Piano Lesson ; Garden ; The Apocalypse Museum -- Eyes. In Camera -- La Vie Trèshorrificque : Rabelais Revisited -- Robert Walser, An Introduction -- Half A Man, Half A Metaphor : The Unknown Kafka -- Paul Valéry -- A Forest Of Bamboo : The Trouble With Nietzsche -- The High Brutality Of Good Intentions -- Henry James's Curriculum Vitae -- Gertrude Stein And The Geography Of The Sentence -- Go Forth And Falsify : Katherine Anne Porter And The Lies Of Art -- Three Photos Of Colette -- Malcolm Lowry -- Rilke's Rodin -- Ezra Pound -- Imaginary Borges And His Books -- Invisible Cities -- On Evil : The Ragged Core Of A Sweet Apple -- Kinds Of Killing : The Flourishing Evil Of The Third Reich -- Philosophy And The Form Of Fiction -- The Concept Of Character In Fiction -- The Medium Of Fiction -- The Baby Or The Botticelli -- Simplicities -- The Music Of Prose -- I've Got A Little List -- The Test Of Time -- And -- The Book As A Container Of Consciousness -- The Architecture Of A Sentence -- Carrots, Noses, Snow, Roses, Roses -- The Soul Inside The Sentence -- The Habitations Of The Word -- The Death Of The Author. [william H. Gass]. Collects Selections From Ten Books Of Essays And Criticism, Three Books Of Short Stories, Novellas, And Novels. This Is A Borzoi Book--title Page Verso. Includes Bibliographical References. "A literary delight--a reading feast; a Gassian celebration--the best of the best (in more than fifty selections) from an American master of prose, chosen by Gass himself from his essays, criticism, commentary, short stories, and novels. It begins with his essays, in which Gass looks back at varying points in his writing life at those writers (from Plato, Hobbes and James, to Joyce, Beckett, Stein, and Gaddis) whose work he found inspiring . . . and at those whose work he explores and embraces (Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy; Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End; Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain; Stendhal's The Red and the Black). He writes (from A Temple of Texts) on the nature and value of writing ("The true alchemists do not change lead into gold," he writes in "Fifty Literary Pillars," "they change the world into words"). Here is a rich experience of Gass' short fiction: from Eyes, his masterfully crafted novella, "In Camera," about collecting, hording; about suspicions run amok . . . from Cartesian Sonata . . . and In the Heart of the Heart of the Country, 1968, a mythical reimagining of America's heartland. And from his nimble, daredevil novels: Middle C, 2013, the chronicle of an Austrian-born man who, as a child with his mother, relocates to America's Midwest (Woodbine, Ohio), grows up a low-skilled amateur piano player to become a music professor at a small Bible college; his only hobby a fantasy life as the curator of his Inhumanity Museum . . . and from The Tunnel ("The most beautiful, most complex, most disturbing novel to be published in my lifetime" --Michael Silverblatt, The Los Angeles Times). And much more"-- Provided by publisher A literary delight--a reading feast; a Gassian celebration--the best of the best: more than fifty selections chosen by Gass himself from his essays, criticism, commentary, short stories, and novels. It begins with his essays, in which Gass looks back at varying points in his writing life at those writers (from Plato, Hobbes, and James, to Joyce, Beckett, Stein, and Gaddis) whose work he found inspiring . . . and at those whose work he explores and embraces (Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy; Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End; Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain; Stendhal's The Red and the Black ). He writes (from A Temple of Texts ) on the nature and value of writing ("The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words"). Here is a rich experience of Gass's short fiction: from Eyes , his masterfully crafted novella, "In Camera," about collecting, hording; about suspicions run amok . . . from Cartesian Sonata . . . and In the Heart of the Heart of the Country (1968), a mythical reimagining of America's heartland. And from his nimble, daredevil novels: Middle C (2013), the chronicle of an Austrian-born man who, as a child with his mother, relocates to America's Midwest (Woodbine, Ohio), grows up a low-skilled amateur piano player to become a music professor at a small Bible college; his only hobby a fantasy life as the curator of his Inhumanity Museum . . . and from The Tunnel ("The most beautiful, most complex, most disturbing novel to be published in my lifetime" --Michael Silverblatt, Los Angeles Times ). A literary delight - a reading feast; a Gassian celebration - the best of the best: more than fifty selections chosen by William H. Gass himself from his essays, criticism, commentary, short stories, and novels.It begins with his essays, in which Gass looks back at varying points in his writing life at those writers (from Plato, Hobbes, and James, to Joyce, Beckett, Stein, and Gaddis) whose work he found inspiring . . . and at those whose work he explores and embraces (Laurence Sterne'sTristram Shandy; Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End; Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain; Stendhal's The Red and the Black). He writes (from A Temple of Texts) on the nature and value of writing ("The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words").Here is a rich experience of Gass's short fiction: from Eyes, his masterfully crafted novella, "In Camera," about collecting, hoarding; about suspicions run amok . . . from Cartesian Sonata. . . and In the Heart Of The Heart Of the Country (1968), a mythical reimagining of America's heartland. And from his nimble, daredevil novels: Middle C (2013), the chronicle of an Austrian-born man who, as a child with his mother, relocates to America's Midwest (Woodbine, Ohio), grows up a low-skilled amateur piano player to become a music professor at a small Bible college; his only hobby a fantasy life as the curator of his Inhumanity Museum . . . and from The Tunnel ("The most beautiful, most complex, most disturbing novel to be published in my lifetime". - Michael Silverblatt, Los Angeles Times). Throughout his career, William Gass relentlessly pushed at the boundaries of language, celebrating the music of the sentence and the aesthetics of the written word. Now, the best and most important of his work is collected in one volume. There are essays on Plato, Hobbes, James, Joyce, Beckett, Stein, Gaddis, Sterne, Ford Madox Ford, Thomas Mann. There are pieces that examine the inner workings of writing. There is his masterful short fiction, from the perfectly crafted novella “In Camera” to the mythical “In the Heart of the Heart of the Country.” And there are excerpts from his novels, including his magnum opus, The Tunnel . Taken together, this collection is a peerless, essential celebration of literature—and an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to understand how great writing works.