Most of the essays previously appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, Details, and Graywolf Forum. In the introductory essay, "A Word About This Book," Franzen notes that the "underlying investigation in all these essays" is "the problem of preserving individuality and complexity in a noisy and distracting mass culture: the question of how to be alone."[1]
Included in the collection are "Why Bother?"—a revised version of "Perchance to Dream," Franzen's infamous 1996 Harper's essay on the novelists' obligation to social realism—and "My Father's Brain," nominated for a 2002 National Magazine Award. The latter essay details the elder Franzen's struggle with Alzheimer's.[2] These experiences informed Franzen’s writing of the character Alfred Lambert in his 2001 novel The Corrections.
Later Editionsedit
The 2003 trade paperback edition includes a fifteenth essay, "Mr. Difficult", on the subject of "difficult" fiction in general and the novels of William Gaddis in particular. To accommodate this additional essay, the essay “Scavenging” was substantially edited.
Table of contentsedit
"A Word About This Book"
"My Father's Brain" (an edited version appeared in The Guardian; see External links)
Note: In the trade paperback edition "Mr. Difficult" was inserted after "Control Units".
Receptionedit
Janet Maslin, in The New York Times, called the book "captivating but uneven"—"this collection emphasizes [Franzen's] elegance, acumen and daring as an essayist, with an intellectually engaging self-awareness as formidable as Joan Didion's. He's funny, too." Maslin praised the essay "My Father's Brain" as "a tough, haunting account."[3] In The New York Times Book Review, critic A.O. Scott discussed Franzen's, "calm, passionate critical authority." Scott closed,
"At present, in Franzen's humane, pessimistic view, our individuality is under assault from all quarters, and the novel is part of a web of modern institutions—along with the daily mail, the industrial city and the idea of a democratic public sphere—undermined by the irresistible (that is, both unstoppable and undeniably attractive) forces of standardization and privatization. To point this out is, inevitably, to sound like something of a crank, and the accomplishment of this book is to offer its cranky author and his like-minded readers a suitably contradictory and ambiguous consolation: we're not alone."[4]
Referencesedit
^Franzen, Jonathan, How to Be Alone, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002. p. 6.
^Janet Maslin, "Alone With a Good Book, You Are Never Alone," The New York Times, November 4, 2002.
^Maslin, "Alone With A Good Book" November 4, 2002.
^A.O. Scott, "Vaunting Ambivalence," The New York Times Book Review, November 10, 2002.
External linksedit
"My Father's Brain" in The Guardian
An abstract of "Mr. Difficult" from the New Yorker website
List of How to Be Alone reviews at The Complete Review
A.O. Scott on How to Be Alone in The New York Times Book Review
January 01, 1970
alone, book, this, article, about, jonathan, franzen, book, other, works, alone, alone, 2002, book, collecting, fourteen, essays, american, writer, jonathan, franzen, alonefirst, edition, coverauthorjonathan, franzencountryunited, stateslanguageenglishgenreess. This article is about the Jonathan Franzen book For the other works see How to Be Alone How to Be Alone is a 2002 book collecting fourteen essays by American writer Jonathan Franzen How to Be AloneFirst edition coverAuthorJonathan FranzenCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenreEssaysPublisherFarrar Straus and GirouxPublication dateOctober 1 2002Media typePrint Hardback amp Paperback Pages278 pp first edition hardback ISBN0 374 17327 3 first edition hardback OCLC49226197Dewey Decimal814 54 21LC ClassPS3556 R352 H69 2002 Contents 1 Essays 2 The Harper s Essay and My Father s Brain 3 Later Editions 4 Table of contents 5 Reception 6 References 7 External linksEssays editMost of the essays previously appeared in The New Yorker Harper s Magazine Details and Graywolf Forum In the introductory essay A Word About This Book Franzen notes that the underlying investigation in all these essays is the problem of preserving individuality and complexity in a noisy and distracting mass culture the question of how to be alone 1 The Harper s Essay and My Father s Brain editSee also Why Bother essay Included in the collection are Why Bother a revised version of Perchance to Dream Franzen s infamous 1996 Harper s essay on the novelists obligation to social realism and My Father s Brain nominated for a 2002 National Magazine Award The latter essay details the elder Franzen s struggle with Alzheimer s 2 These experiences informed Franzen s writing of the character Alfred Lambert in his 2001 novel The Corrections Later Editions editThe 2003 trade paperback edition includes a fifteenth essay Mr Difficult on the subject of difficult fiction in general and the novels of William Gaddis in particular To accommodate this additional essay the essay Scavenging was substantially edited Table of contents edit A Word About This Book My Father s Brain an edited version appeared in The Guardian see External links Imperial Bedroom Why Bother Lost in the Mail Erika Imports Sifting the Ashes The Reader in Exile First City Scavenging Control Units Books in Bed Meet Me in St Louis Inauguration Day January 2001 Note In the trade paperback edition Mr Difficult was inserted after Control Units Reception editJanet Maslin in The New York Times called the book captivating but uneven this collection emphasizes Franzen s elegance acumen and daring as an essayist with an intellectually engaging self awareness as formidable as Joan Didion s He s funny too Maslin praised the essay My Father s Brain as a tough haunting account 3 In The New York Times Book Review critic A O Scott discussed Franzen s calm passionate critical authority Scott closed At present in Franzen s humane pessimistic view our individuality is under assault from all quarters and the novel is part of a web of modern institutions along with the daily mail the industrial city and the idea of a democratic public sphere undermined by the irresistible that is both unstoppable and undeniably attractive forces of standardization and privatization To point this out is inevitably to sound like something of a crank and the accomplishment of this book is to offer its cranky author and his like minded readers a suitably contradictory and ambiguous consolation we re not alone 4 References edit Franzen Jonathan How to Be Alone New York Farrar Straus and Giroux 2002 p 6 Janet Maslin Alone With a Good Book You Are Never Alone The New York Times November 4 2002 Maslin Alone With A Good Book November 4 2002 A O Scott Vaunting Ambivalence The New York Times Book Review November 10 2002 External links edit My Father s Brain in The Guardian An abstract of Mr Difficult from the New Yorker website List of How to Be Alone reviews at The Complete Review A O Scott on How to Be Alone in The New York Times Book Review Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title How to Be Alone book amp oldid 1168225036, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
