Pleasures of Reading in an Ideological Age

From one of our premier literary scholars, here is a learned and witty introduction to the "sheer vitality of literature and the satisfactions of a close, informed engagement with it" ("New York Times"). Robert Alter's illumination of the unique power of reading literature is especially valuable at a time when we are surrounded by electronic texts that distract more than engage and when the special claims of literature are disparaged by the high priests of literary theory. --Back cover. Robert Alter explores the power and beauty of reading. With examples from the Bible, Shakespeare, Nabokov, Dickens, Wolfe, and more, he demonstrates the primacy of the reading experience.