Irony, so common, sets her apart. She is ironic without archness, without super-subtlety, without glib or coy superiority, without contempt, … More
Tag: Prose
45. (Vladimir Nabokov)
In his or her one or two or possibly three successful novels, the really great novelist manages to place before … More
40. (Henry James)
Henry James’ critical perception of others didn’t depend on his seeing himself in their words; but he might have been … More
35. (Henry James)
Propriety and property, position and possession: the late James, James of The Golden Bowl, evolved an entire style to brace these … More
34. (Robert Browning)
Apt that an Italian would assist with placing Browning plain before the eyes. Franco Moretti (once again), but this time … More
33. (Stendhal)
Minor characters blaze into majority; major events are subordinated to asides; the tempo feels all wrong, the climax abrupt, the … More
14. (John Ruskin)
The twentieth-century author most often summoned as the sibylline guide to the depths of Ruskin’s oeuvre is Proust. Guy Davenport, … More
Critical Provisions 