Books : Search

Average Rating:

.The Art of Fiction: Illustrated from Classic and Modern Texts

by: David Lodge

October 12, 1992
Terms are bandied around for different forms of novel writing, and you dismiss them as 'jargon', or perhaps 'gobbledegook', and move on. It's only when you've actually written a novel that doesn't fit the standard genre - historical, fantasy, adventure, thriller, etc - that you wish you'd paid more attention. If you've completed writing such a book without having recourse to the Art of Fiction, you'll need it at this point, otherwise you might be excused for thinking you've ploughed a completely new literary furrow. So, before you start preparing your witty acceptance speech on winning the Booker, do read David Lodge and you'll learn that someone famous has been there before you and that, in some cases, they have been lauded and slated by ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on The Art of Fiction: Illustrated from Classic and Modern Texts

Used Price: £3.75

Average Rating:

.Deaf Sentence

by: David Lodge

May 01, 2008
Although this novel ends with a birth and a death, for most of its pages, Deaf Sentence celebrates life, albeit one that is a little disadvantaged. Forced to retire because of his rapidly diminishing hearing, linguistics professor Desmond Bates is not exactly going through a mid-life crisis, but in the preceding months has reached a point in his life where he is subtly questioning everything. Desmond has had a fulfilling career teaching at a local northern University, and he's mostly happily married to his entrepreneurial wife Fred "Winifred" who runs a trendy design store called Décor. But even as Desmond settles into a middle-aged life, he worries about his increasingly spotty sexual performance. While Fred seems to be getting better with age, blooming ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Deaf Sentence

Used Price: £8.70

Average Rating:

.Howards End (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)

by: E.M. Forster, David Lodge

April 27, 2006
I was FORCED to study this novel for a-level english literature and LOATHED it! I found it very difficult to stay awake when reading it due to the dull and unrealistic storylines.

I would by no means recommend this novel to anyone. Looking back on the time spent reading and re-reading the book only reminds me of the days I wasted! Now that I have completed my a-levels, nothing would bring me greater satisfaction than to burn the book that bored me to death!
>>See More Reviews & Details on Howards End (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)

Used Price: £4.33

Average Rating:

.Lucky Jim (Penguin Modern Classics)

by: Kingsley Amis

May 25, 2000
Its probably the wrong time to be reading this book - to me it comes across as being depressingly old-fashioned.

At the time of publication it appears to have been lauded for its satirical relevance, in a few decades time it may have the charm and interest of a period piece. But to me, the deep misogyny and sneering contempt for all things provincial and non-Oxbridge are more unpleasant than the rigid and pompous post war society that the book is attempting to lampoon.

There are some good comic moments - description of a hangover, fight between two characters, and the frustrations of a slow bus journey - but the humour is patchy and my main memories of the book will be its very peculiar attitude towards women.
>>See More Reviews & Details on Lucky Jim (Penguin Modern Classics)

Used Price: £2.97

Average Rating:

.Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses

by: David Lodge

May 25, 1978
'Changing Places' forms part of a trilogy of campus novels (along with 'Small World' and 'Nice Work') by the popular British author that are now available to purchase as an anthology. Reading all three books is further necessitated by the fact they share common characters. 'Changing Places' is about the transformative experience of living in an another culture (albeit ones not vastly dissimilar, in this case the UK and US) and the social transformations taking places at the tail end of the 60s. The plot conceit, as with 'Nice Work', is that two completely different people are displaced by an exchange programme foisted upon them by their employers. In this case, it involves a reserved British professor temporarily trading posts with a brash American academic.

While these ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses

Used Price: £0.01

Average Rating:

.Twentieth Century Literary Criticism: A Reader

from: Longman

July 31, 1972
Novelsit David Lodge for students and professors at Academia is particulalry appealing. His fiction is among the very best in the literary postmodernity. His criticism broadens the understanding of his discoursive gift. Limited for space he manages both in Twentieth Century Literary Criticism and the - sequel Modern Criticism and Theory, to give a complete unprejudiced picture of the scene of literary theory. These are Readers where he has selected and compiled the most representative texts, a task requiring strong commitment and sound knowledge of the work of hundreds of authors. Yet he finds more space, in the brilliant introductions, in the footnotes, in the bibliography to complete the picture of all schools and trends. Both Readers may be a good start for novices but at the same time they ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Twentieth Century Literary Criticism: A Reader

Used Price: £9.17

Average Rating:

.Modern Criticism and Theory

by: David Lodge, Nigel Wood

March 13, 2008
Modern Criticism and Theory is a book which covers various themes of literary criticism in great depth. The content is separated into sections relevant to Structuralism, Post-structuralism, Psychoanalysis, Ideology, Feminism, Hermeneutics and Reader Response theory. Many well known and academic writers have included essays in this text that are suitable for the study of literary criticism at university level although anyone interested in reading about theories of literature and their relevance to other sciences will find this text a riveting read. Each essay is approximately 20-30 pages long and should be read in bursts rather than whole sections in one sitting. Each essay also has a section at the beggining with notes about the author. This text is informative and interesting. Enjoy and learn ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Modern Criticism and Theory

Used Price: £28.87

Average Rating:

.Nice Work

by: David Lodge

June 29, 1989
Nice Work is a clever, well-constructed comedy and social commentary about a clash of cultures in a fictional Midlands town in the mould of Birmingham. Well-paced and meticulously plotted, the novel revolves around the unlikely convergence of Dr Robyn Penrose - a professor of Women's studies and purporter of deconstructuralist and feminist theory - and Vic Wilcox, MD of an industrial engineering plant. Written aptly at a time of great social transformation (Thatcher, class strife, the decline of industry and massive cuts to public spending) David Lodge pieces together an astute oberservation of British life. Moreover, he is a master at developing tangible and appealing characters by telling the story - alternately - from their perspective. Billed as 'the campus novel meets the industrial novel', ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Nice Work

Used Price: £0.01

Average Rating:

.A David Lodge Trilogy: "Changing Places", "Small World", "Nice Work"

by: David Lodge

December 02, 1993
`Changing Places` begins a trilogy of campus novels (along with `Small World' and `Nice Work`) by the popular British author that are now available to purchase as an anthology. Reading all three books is further necessitated by the fact they share common characters. `Changing Places` is about the transformative experience of living in an another culture (albeit ones not vastly dissimilar, in this case the UK and US) and the social transformations taking places at the tail end of the 60s. The plot conceit, as with `Nice Work', is that two completely different people are displaced by an exchange programme foisted upon them by their employers. In this case, it involves a reserved British professor temporarily trading posts with a brash American academic - Morris Zapp and Phillip Swallow respectively. ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on A David Lodge Trilogy: "Changing Places", "Small World", "Nice Work"

Used Price: £0.88

Average Rating:

.Therapy

by: David Lodge

May 02, 1996
I usually knock off a book of this length in a couple of evenings. Not so with Therapy for it rewards you for taking your time! The book operates on two levels and illustrates the public and private lives of its hero. On the surface Laurance "Tubby" Passmore is a very successful and wealthy television scriptwriter, but internally he is a fine blend of neuroses! The book works best when in the hands of the first person narrator. The excursions exploring Tubby's life from the views of observers are less convincing. Tubby is not a wonderful person, but you end up liking and urging him on. I recommend this novel to anyone who likes a well written introspective work. Buy it and enjoy!
>>See More Reviews & Details on Therapy

Used Price: £0.01