{"product_id":"the-art-of-astonishment-9781501383564","title":"The Art of Astonishment","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFirst Place Winner in Non-Fiction from the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards\u003c\/b\u003ePart literary history, part personal memoir, Alice Brittan''s beautifully written \u003ci\u003eThe Art of Astonishment \u003c\/i\u003eexplores the rich intellectual, religious, and philosophical history of the gift and tells the interconnected story of grace: where it comes from and what it is believed to accomplish. Covering a remarkable range of materialsfrom \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eEpic of Gilgamesh\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Iliad\u003c\/i\u003e, and the tragedies of Classical Greece, through the brothers Grimm and Montaigne, to C. S. Lewis, Toni Morrison, J. M. Coetzee, Elena Ferrante, Karl Ove Knausgaard, and Jhumpa LahiriBrittan moves with ease from personal story to myth, to theology, to literature and analysis, examining the nature of social and communal obligation, the role of the intellectual in times of crisis, and the pleasures of reading.In the 21st century, we might imagine grace as a striking and refined quality that is pleasurable to enco\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA beautifully written work that combines research, scholarly insights, and memoir in a fluid manner so hard to achieve. Brittan’s voice is so good--thoughtful, welcoming, lovely--and rendered in often captivating prose. The retrieval of stories and insights from the ancient Western world as a way of making sense of what to do now reminds us that not all Western legacies need be seen as negative. * Christopher Cokinos, Professor of English, University of Arizona, USA, and author of The Underneath and The Fallen Sky: An Intimate History of Shooting Stars *\u003cbr\u003eA work of literary criticism that ranges widely across genres, historical periods, and geographical locations, \u003ci\u003eThe Art of Astonishment\u003c\/i\u003e is also a moving work of memoir, a probing account of intergenerational trauma, and a hopeful meditation on those limits beyond which grace appears. Moving deftly--like Hermes, a presiding genius of her book--from Classical Greece to post-apartheid South Africa, from the Britain of her childhood to her present Canadian home, Alice Brittan has produced a remarkable critical-creative project in the best traditions of the philosophically minded critic, illustrating how cultural criticism might illuminate some of our most complex social and individual predicaments. Its insights will enrich and astonish. * Andrew van der Vlies, Professor of English and Creative Writing, University of Adelaide, Australia *\u003cbr\u003eA rich tapestry of extensive cultural knowledge and intimate personal experience ... guaranteed to surprise most  readers with its sometimes disturbing but always fascinating insights. * Tydskrif vir Literatuurwetenskap \/ Journal of Literary Studies *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eList of Illustrations\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c\/i\u003e Introduction: Astonishment 1. Grace 2. Charity 3. Secrets 4. Shame 5. Patience Conclusion: Rest \u003ci\u003eNotes\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eBibliography\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eIndex\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing Plc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49531381383511,"sku":"9781501383564","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781501383564.jpg?v=1731882884","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-art-of-astonishment-9781501383564","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}