Humane Readings
Essays on literary mediation and communication in honour of Roger D. Sell
Since the 1980s, Roger D. Sell’s literary criticism has striven to take account of the (often conflicting) approaches available without compromising the human importance of the literary work: either in terms of its creation or its reception. Sell’s theory of literature draws strength from the interface between literary studies and linguistics and is grounded on the argument that literary making is a primary communicational act between human beings. Other critics have found Sell’s work inspirational.
This book both responds to Sell’s ideas and demonstrates the multifaceted potential of his work. Aware of his trajectory through Literary-Pragmatic, ‘Humanizing’ and ‘Mediating’ criticism, Humane Readings offers a series of original and focused studies which demonstrate the power, provenance and importance of Sell’s approach. Ranging in subject matter from the Early Modern Period to the present, a reconfiguration of literary criticism by contemporary readers and practitioners is urged here. Case studies are presented on a range of poetic, novelistic, dramatic and children’s works. Each illuminates different aspects of Sell’s critical thought.
Table of Contents
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Tabula gratulatoria | pp. vii–viii
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Contributors | pp. ix–xi
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IntroductionAnthony Johnson | pp. 1–15
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“This verse marks that”: The Bible, editors, and Early Modern English textsHelen Wilcox | pp. 17–30
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Humanized intertexts: An iconospheric approach to Ben Jonson’s comedy, The Case is Altered (1598)Anthony Johnson | pp. 31–48
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Appearance and reality in Jane Austen’s PersuasionTony Lurcock | pp. 49–59
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Green flowers and golden eyes: Balzac, Decadence and Wilde’s SalomeSven-Johan Spånberg | pp. 61–75
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“When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean”: Power and (mis)communication in literature for young readersMaria Nikolajeva | pp. 77–87
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Place and communicative personae: How Forster has changed Stevenage since the 1940sJason Finch | pp. 89–106
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Tony Harrison and the rhetorics of reality: A re-evaluation of vTony Bex | pp. 107–118
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Truthful (hi)stories in Michael Ondaatje’s Anil’s GhostLydia Kokkola | pp. 119–133
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Pragmatic Penelope or timeless tales for the timesGunilla Florby | pp. 135–143
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Three fallacies in interpreting literatureBo Pettersson | pp. 145–156
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Index | pp. 157–160