Signs taken for wonders : essays in the sociology of literary forms

Shakespearean tragedy and __Dracula__, Sherlock Holmes and __Ulysses__, __Frankenstei__ and __The Waste Land__—all are celebrated “wonders” of modern literature, whether in its mandarin or popular form. However, it is the fact that these texts are so central to our contemporary notion of literature that sometimes hinders our ability to understand them. Franco Moretti applies himself to this problem bydrawing skillfully on structuralist, sociological and psycho-analytic modes of enquity in order to read these texts as literary systems which are tokens of wider cultural and political realities. In the process, Moretti offers us compelling accounts of various literary genres, explores the relationships between high and mass culture in this century, and considers the relevance of tragic, Romantic and Darwinian views of the world. Shakespearean tragedy and Dracula , Sherlock Holmes and Ulysses , Frankenstei and The Waste Land —all are celebrated “wonders” of modern literature, whether in its mandarin or popular form. However, it is the fact that these texts are so central to our contemporary notion of literature that sometimes hinders our ability to understand them. Franco Moretti applies himself to this problem by drawing skillfully on structuralist, sociological and psycho-analytic modes of enquity in order to read these texts as literary systems which are tokens of wider cultural and political realities. In the process, Moretti offers us compelling accounts of various literary genres, explores the relationships between high and mass culture in this century, and considers the relevance of tragic, Romantic and Darwinian views of the world.

Shakespearean tragedy and Dracula, Sherlock Holmes and Ulysses, Frankenstein and The Waste Land - all are celebrated 'wonders' of modern literature, whether in its mandarin or popular form. However, it is the fact that these texts are so central to our contemporary notion of literature that sometimes hinders our ability to understand them. Franco Moretti applies himself to this problem by drawing skilfully on structuralist, sociological and psycho-analytic modes of enquiry in order to read these texts as literary systems which are tokens of wider cultural and political realities. In the process, Moretti offers us compelling accounts of various literary genres, explores the relationships between high and mass culture in this century, and considers the relevance of tragic, Romantic and Darwinian views of the world.

The Soul And The Harpy -- The Great Eclipse -- Dialectic Of Fear -- Homo Palpitans -- Clues -- Kindergarten -- The Long Goodbye -- From The Waste Land To The Artificial Paradise -- The Spell Of Indecision -- The Moment Of Truth -- On Literary Evolution. Franco Moretti ; Translated By Susan Fischer, David Forgacs, David Miller. Translated From Italian. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. [279]-309.