The Lives of Literature

By Arnold Weinstein ,

Book cover of The Lives of Literature: Reading, Teaching, Knowing

Book description

Mixing passion and humor, a personal work of literary criticism that demonstrates how the greatest books illuminate our lives

Why do we read literature? For Arnold Weinstein, the answer is clear: literature allows us to become someone else. Literature changes us by giving us intimate access to an astonishing variety…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Lives of Literature as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Weinstein takes the age-old question – what is literature? – and transforms it into why we (would want to) read literature. For him, literature changes us, allows us to be someone else, and provides us insight into the world we inhabit, and many more worlds we haven’t. He reads a broad array of works, from Sophocles to James Joyce and Toni Morrison, and thinks about such issues as identification, empathy, and sympathy with those we come to ‘know’ through our reading.

If you love The Lives of Literature...

Ad

Book cover of The Beatles and the 1960s: Reception, Revolution, and Social Change

The Beatles and the 1960s by Kenneth L. Campbell,

The Beatles are widely regarded as the foremost and most influential music band in history and their career has been the subject of many biographies. Yet the band's historical significance has not received sustained academic treatment to date. In The Beatles and the 1960s, Kenneth L. Campbell uses The…

Want books like The Lives of Literature?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Lives of Literature.

Browse books like The Lives of Literature

Book cover of Humanity at Sea: Maritime Migration and the Foundations of International Law
Book cover of Tears of Salt: A Doctor's Story of the Refugee Crisis
Book cover of Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

2,359

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Lives of Literature, you might also like...

Book cover of Bruce Songs: The Music of Bruce Springsteen, Album-by-Album, Song-by-Song

Bruce Songs by Kenneth Womack,

Bruce Songs is an authoritative guide that offers an in-depth exploration of Bruce Springsteen's musical legacy. Covering Springsteen's entire discography, from "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J." to "Only the Strong Survive", this unique book combines historical context, literary analysis, and meticulous research.

Unlike any other resource, it provides detailed analyses…

Book cover of Norman Mailer at 100: Conversations, Correlations, Confrontations

Norman Mailer at 100 by Robert J. Begiebing,

Winner of the Robert F. Lucid Award for Mailer Studies.

Celebrating Mailer's centenary and the seventy-fifth publication of The Naked and the Dead, the book illustrates how Mailer remains a provocative presence in American letters.

From the debates of the nation's founders, to the revolutionary traditions of western romanticism,…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in philosophy, math, and presidential biography?

Philosophy 1,891 books
Math 288 books