Stephen Booth (born April 20, 1933) is a professor
emeritus of English literature at the University
of California , Berkeley University
of Cambridge New
York
In 1977 he published an edition with "analytic commentary" of the sonnets, again attracting both controversy and praise within the academy for his precision and bold rereadings. In 1983 followed King Lear, Macbeth, Indefinition, and Tragedy, probably his best-known work after the study of the sonnets. His most recent book is 1998's Precious Nonsense: TheGettysburg
By Norman Rabkin
In 1977 he published an edition with "analytic commentary" of the sonnets, again attracting both controversy and praise within the academy for his precision and bold rereadings. In 1983 followed King Lear, Macbeth, Indefinition, and Tragedy, probably his best-known work after the study of the sonnets. His most recent book is 1998's Precious Nonsense: The
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Amazon.com offers Booth’s book, Precious Nonsense: The Gettysburg
Book Overview
Why do we value literature so? Many would say for the
experience it brings us. But what is it about that experience that makes us
treasure certain writings above others? Stephen Booth suggests that the
greatest appeal of our most valued works may be that they are, in one way or
another, nonsensical. He uses three disparate texts—the Gettysburg Address, Ben
Jonson's epitaphs on his children, and Shakespeare's Twelfth Night—to
demonstrate how poetics triumphs over logic in the invigorating mental activity
that enriches our experience of reading. Booth presents his case in a book that
is crisply playful while at the same time thoroughly analytical. He
demonstrates the lapses in logic and the irrational connections in examples of
very different types of literature, showing how they come close to incoherence
yet maintain for the reader a reliable order and purpose. Ultimately, Booth
argues, literature gives us the capacity to cope effortlessly with, and even to
transcend, the complicated and demanding mental experiences it generates for
us.
This book is in part a witty critique of the trends—old and new—of literary criticism, written by an accomplished and gifted scholar. But it is also a testimony to the power of the process of reading itself. Precious Nonsense is certain to bring pleasure to anyone interested in language and its beguiling possibilities.
This book is in part a witty critique of the trends—old and new—of literary criticism, written by an accomplished and gifted scholar. But it is also a testimony to the power of the process of reading itself. Precious Nonsense is certain to bring pleasure to anyone interested in language and its beguiling possibilities.
Editorial Review
"Booth highlights the
linguistic complications, illogical assertions, and incongruous imagery that
distinguish, but enrich, disparate texts: the Gettysburg
Customer Review
By Norman Rabkin
Honesty
requires a disclaimer. Booth is a friend and colleague. But I would react
similarly if I didn't know the author. If there were six stars, I would award
them to Precious Nonsense. Booth takes familiar texts that seem all too clear and
obvious and makes us see a multitude of things going on beneath their surfaces. His discoveries are startling and sometimes you want to
argue with him, but because he puts his cards on the table he makes argument
possible. What he shows demonstrates the difference between great prose and
verse and ordinary writing, and reveals the similarity between the operation of
literary art and that of music. Booth is phenomenally sensitive and deeply
learned, and he has a terrific memory. A bonus is his style: he , in making us
see how much goes on in such art that we are never as clear, conversational,
and often funny. This is a revolutionary
book.
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Footnote by the Blog Author
There’s a brilliant, fascinating article about Booth and
Shakespeare at:
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