El fin de la novela de amor
- Downloads：8669
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-10-29 18:16:33
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Vivian Gornick
- ISBN：8419261173
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Vivian Gornick lleva años desarrollando un formidable diálogo entre la literatura y la vida。 La escritora estadounidense alberga la convicción de que la lectura es una forma de autoconocimiento， y de que leer con la mirada adecuada puede ayudarnos a entender cómo llegamos a ser quienes somos y por qué son como son los tiempos en que vivimos。 En este libro， Gornick aborda uno de sus asuntos favoritos， el amor romántico simbolizado por el matrimonio， y lo analiza como uno de los temas clave en la literatura del siglo xx。 En un recorrido por la vida y la obra de algunos de los autores que más admira –como Willa Cather， Virginia Woolf， Grace Paley， Richard Ford， Raymond Carver o Jane Smiley–， la autora defiende que nuestro mundo ha cambiado y que el amor y el matrimonio han dejado de ser， en nuestra época， metáforas que representen adecuadamente la felicidad y la realización personal。
Con la misma inteligencia， honestidad y agudeza que caracterizan su célebre libro Apegos feroces， e hilvanando una profunda reflexión que se hunde con elegancia tanto en el conocimiento como en lo vivencial， Vivian Gornick nos brinda un libro extraordinario que cuestiona el supuesto poder transformador del amor y nos revela que este， «como la comida o el aire， es necesario pero insuficiente: no puede hacer por nosotros lo que debemos hacer por nosotros mismos»。
Con la misma inteligencia， honestidad y agudeza que caracterizan su célebre libro Apegos feroces， e hilvanando una profunda reflexión que se hunde con elegancia tanto en el conocimiento como en lo vivencial， Vivian Gornick nos brinda un libro extraordinario que cuestiona el supuesto poder transformador del amor y nos revela que este， «como la comida o el aire， es necesario pero insuficiente: no puede hacer por nosotros lo que debemos hacer por nosotros mismos»。
Reviews
Casey
，
I enjoyed this essay collection of many levels。 Gornick's writerly voice is such a pleasure to drink in and she really does make me want to go out and read the novels she discusses that I'm not already familiar with。 The one thing that held me back from "five stars" is what I felt was a bit of a false expectation raised by the title。 I thought that a collection that addresses the end of the novel of love sounded pretty epic， but the scope and scale of this collection as a whole is smaller than a I enjoyed this essay collection of many levels。 Gornick's writerly voice is such a pleasure to drink in and she really does make me want to go out and read the novels she discusses that I'm not already familiar with。 The one thing that held me back from "five stars" is what I felt was a bit of a false expectation raised by the title。 I thought that a collection that addresses the end of the novel of love sounded pretty epic， but the scope and scale of this collection as a whole is smaller than and not always related to the theme invoked by the title。That being said， a super pleasurable essay collection to read。 She really likes certain phrases， like "down to the bones" or "ashes in my mouth，" that evoke the kind of readerly experience she simulates for her audience （and which I enjoyed）。 。。。more
Kate
，
The essay I liked best was about Arendt and Heidegger， the speculation interesting if you like that kind of thing which I only sometimes do…
Bert
，
Ze liggen mooi opgestapeld， als één geheel， eenvoudig maar leuk vormgegeven ook， de drie bundels Een vrouw apart en de stad， Onvoltooid werk en Het einde van de liefdesroman。 Ik las ze de voorbije maanden achter elkaar uit。 Met veel verwachting begon ik steeds opnieuw， om snel weer die verwachtingen te laten lopen。 Vivian Gornick kan schrijven， dat zeker。 Ze schrijft alleen niet wat ik lezen wil。 Of neen， ze schrijft voortdurend over dingen waar ik maar al te graag van lees， alleen schrijft ze h Ze liggen mooi opgestapeld， als één geheel， eenvoudig maar leuk vormgegeven ook， de drie bundels Een vrouw apart en de stad， Onvoltooid werk en Het einde van de liefdesroman。 Ik las ze de voorbije maanden achter elkaar uit。 Met veel verwachting begon ik steeds opnieuw， om snel weer die verwachtingen te laten lopen。 Vivian Gornick kan schrijven， dat zeker。 Ze schrijft alleen niet wat ik lezen wil。 Of neen， ze schrijft voortdurend over dingen waar ik maar al te graag van lees， alleen schrijft ze het niet neer。 Ze raakt het aan。 Alsof ze er de moeite niet voor wil doen er echt over te schrijven， het uitdiepen en verwoorden daar moet een ander zich maar zoet mee houden。 Zo lees ik stukje na stukje， essay na essay， en een paar stukjes verder herinner ik me al niet meer waar ze het in de vorige essays nou precies over had。 Ik herinner me nog wel wat van het stukje aan het eind van Het einde van de liefdesroman， dat vond ik goed， niet omdat het zo veel beter is geschreven of iets dieper gaat。 Ik voelde iets meer betrokkenheid。 Ach， dat had ik graag drie boekjes eerder gevoeld。 。。。more
JS
，
this book means so much to me :（
Diletta
，
Ottime riflessioni ma alcune lasciate a metà （e si poteva andare più avanti， credo）。
Akosua Adasi
，
“For a hundred and fifty years in the West the idea of romantic love has been emblematic of the search for self-understanding。” in this book， Vivian Gornick ruminates on the authors and literature that reveal that to seek one’s self by seeking love is to lose oneself or， as she writes brilliantly in her essay on Clover Adams， is to become incased in ice， so thick that not even your lover’s passion could melt it。 Like much of Gornick’s writing， this book is direct and insightful。 She engenders a “For a hundred and fifty years in the West the idea of romantic love has been emblematic of the search for self-understanding。” in this book， Vivian Gornick ruminates on the authors and literature that reveal that to seek one’s self by seeking love is to lose oneself or， as she writes brilliantly in her essay on Clover Adams， is to become incased in ice， so thick that not even your lover’s passion could melt it。 Like much of Gornick’s writing， this book is direct and insightful。 She engenders a desire to read and write endlessly， and her focus on writers that maybe don’t always get the spotlight or texts that have something to offer despite lack of general brilliance， make it more enjoyable。 。。。more
Chris Oleson
，
Brief， incisive， insightful， and provoking essays on a number of writers， including Cather， Rhys。
Florine
，
Ik vond dit boek wat matig， ik ben er halverwege mee gestopt。 Misschien pak ik later nog eens op om de overige boeken essays te lezen。 Een tegenvaller， na Verstrengeld en Een vrouw apart。 En de stad die ik beiden heel erg goed vond。
Tim Nason
，
5 ⭐️ Incisive and insightful literary essays。 I now want to read all of the author’s books！
Lanette Sweeney
，
Smart， feminist essays about how romantic love is now being rejected as the central focus of women’s lives in literature。 The fact that Gornick finds examples of this from more than 100 years prior， however， makes this feel less timely。 In the title essay she examines an early Jane Smiley novel in which a woman follows her obsessive need for passion and leaves her husband and children。 Gornick argues no rational woman would do such a thing。 I don’t know about rational but plenty of women do just Smart， feminist essays about how romantic love is now being rejected as the central focus of women’s lives in literature。 The fact that Gornick finds examples of this from more than 100 years prior， however， makes this feel less timely。 In the title essay she examines an early Jane Smiley novel in which a woman follows her obsessive need for passion and leaves her husband and children。 Gornick argues no rational woman would do such a thing。 I don’t know about rational but plenty of women do just that every day。 I didn’t buy her basic premise that no believable character can be compelled by love alone。 。。。more
Richard Carilo
，
Critical Score: 4。25Personal Score: 4。25Total Score: 8。5
Layla Elqutami
，
ugh i wrote a whole long review of this bc it deserves it but goodreads didn't save it！！ :（ so here's smth shorter bc i don't have as much time:- simplified overview: many essays on authors and how their biographies （usually romantic biographies） shape the works they write， from poetry to novels， even to philosophical theory- i love reading author biographies so this was honestly the biggest treat！！ - one would think it's too academic a book to make treatises on the human experience of love， bc ugh i wrote a whole long review of this bc it deserves it but goodreads didn't save it！！ :（ so here's smth shorter bc i don't have as much time:- simplified overview: many essays on authors and how their biographies （usually romantic biographies） shape the works they write， from poetry to novels， even to philosophical theory- i love reading author biographies so this was honestly the biggest treat！！ - one would think it's too academic a book to make treatises on the human experience of love， bc gornick's arguments are rooted in literary interpretation， but it's seriously not。 super accessible and fluid and amiable a text to read。 one learns more about oneself and one's own love life after reading。 her prose is striking in its insight （it rlly hits u， either all at once or in a slow sad burn）， especially at the chapters' ends- took off a star solely for the last two chapters: the penultimate a lament on the misogyny within men's romance novels （which， is true and fine， sure， but why give them a space at all in so golden a book？ even if it's to complain。。。 in gornick's words， left me with "a taste of ashes" in my mouth）， the final a chapter on the death of romance at the end of the twentieth century （i LOVE entertaining the fact of a post-romance society， don't get me wrong！！ i just felt like it was a weird tone to leave off on， though it wasn't incorrect at all—just out of place， and i can't exactly explain why， which is more frustrating。 i want a whole other book on this chapter's topic）big recommend : ） 。。。more
ken
，
"Love， this truth tells us， like food or air， is necessary but insufficient: it cannot do for us what we must do for ourselves。 Certainly， it can no longer act as an organizing principle。 Romantic love now seems a yearning to dive down into feeling and come up magically changed; when what is required for the making of a self is the deliberate pursuit of consciousness。 Knowing this to be the larger truth， as many of us do， the idea of love as a means of illumination—in literature as in life—now c "Love， this truth tells us， like food or air， is necessary but insufficient: it cannot do for us what we must do for ourselves。 Certainly， it can no longer act as an organizing principle。 Romantic love now seems a yearning to dive down into feeling and come up magically changed; when what is required for the making of a self is the deliberate pursuit of consciousness。 Knowing this to be the larger truth， as many of us do， the idea of love as a means of illumination—in literature as in life—now comes as something of an anticlimax。"What can I say？ Vivian Gornick certainly had me by the throat through the entirety of this text。 My being a sucker for literary criticism and writing about love shook me to my core， because the thesis of the entire collection has to do with understanding how now， love is not enough。 And was it ever？ Cutting to the truth of it， Gornick explores just how we as a culture is enthralled by the promise of love， except it just doesn't give us anything we expect anymore。 I did put that much stock on love—but not to the point where I am going to be changed （for "the better"）， or that I will find out my real self through the eyes of the other， or through the passions that I would undergo in my experience of love。 It speaks of a refusal to look into the self before you're even seen by the other， and that's just cringe to me。 But still。 To me， love is all。In the majority of the essays， Gornick describes stories—both fictional and real—where the characters decide that love is not the end。 Was it ever？ Seems doubtful。 Regardless， my entire experience of this collection is one that enlightens while simultaneously has me clutching to the ideal of love， not as the End All， but just because I love love for love's sake。Attached are the texts Gornick talks about per chapter， for my reference。1） Diana of the Crossways> Mrs。 Dalloway by Virginia Woolf> Daniel Deronda by George Eliot> The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton> Diana of the Crossways by George Meredith2） Clover Adamsnot so much as analysed， but as supporting evidence:> Democracy & Esther by Henry Adams3） Kate Chopin> The Awakening4） Jean Rhys> Wide Sargasso Sea5） Ruthless Intimacies> Sons and Lovers by D。 H。 Lawrence> The Unlit Lamp by Radclyffe Hall> Mary Olivier by May Sinclair6） Willa Cather> The Troll Garden> O Pioneers！> The Song of the Lark> My Antonia> Death Comes for the Archbishop> The Professor's House> My Mortal Enemy> Lucy Gayheart7） Hannah Arendt and Martin Heideggernot so much as analysed as referenced:> Being and Time> Eichmann in Jerusalem8） Christina Stead> The Man who Loved Children> The Little Hotel> I'm Dying Laughing9） Grace Paley> "An Interest in Life"> "The Pale Pink Roast"> "Faith in the Afternoon"> "Wants"10） Tenderhearted Men> （I'm not going to read Raymond Carver again）> The Sportswriter by Richard Ford> Voices from the Moon by Andre Dubus> Adultery> We Don't Live Here Anymore11） The End of the Novel of Love> The Age of Grief by Jane Smiley 。。。more
Katherine Shaw
，
"I know too much about love。 We all know too much。 I could not accept as true that a love affair would bring the wife （and therefore me） to feel deeply the consequence of her original insufficient intentions。"“Ritual sustains the status quo。 When a patient repeats an insight ritually he is living in bad faith: without intentionality: in thrall to passive longing。 When a writer sits down to tell a tale based on experience that in effect has become ‘ritual，’ it is the equivalent of living in bad f "I know too much about love。 We all know too much。 I could not accept as true that a love affair would bring the wife （and therefore me） to feel deeply the consequence of her original insufficient intentions。"“Ritual sustains the status quo。 When a patient repeats an insight ritually he is living in bad faith: without intentionality: in thrall to passive longing。 When a writer sits down to tell a tale based on experience that in effect has become ‘ritual，’ it is the equivalent of living in bad faith。”"In great novels we always feel that the writer， at the time of the writing， knows as much as anyone around can know， and is struggling to make sense of what is perceived somewhere in the nerve endings if not yet in the clarified consciousness。" 。。。more
Gail
，
This collection of literary essays didn’t please me as much as other books by Vivian Gornick which I have thoroughly enjoyed。
Sarah
，
"The question of who can free themselves when devotion threatens integrity of self， and who cannot， is indeed a matter of temperament， understanding， and wholeness of being--that is， the freedom of action that flows from integration of mind and spirit。" （p。 110 Hannah Arendt and Martin Heidegger）"The despair of theses writers can never be as moving to a reader like me as it is to the writers themselves。 At the heart of their work lies a keen regret that things are no longer as they once were bet "The question of who can free themselves when devotion threatens integrity of self， and who cannot， is indeed a matter of temperament， understanding， and wholeness of being--that is， the freedom of action that flows from integration of mind and spirit。" （p。 110 Hannah Arendt and Martin Heidegger）"The despair of theses writers can never be as moving to a reader like me as it is to the writers themselves。 At the heart of their work lies a keen regret that things are no longer as they once were between men and women， a regret so intense that it amounts to longing。 It's this longing， endowed with the appearance of hard reality， that informs much of their writing。 But from where I stand， the hard reality is this: that question about why things are not as they once were has got to be asked honestly， not rhetorically。" （pp。 148-149 Tenderhearted Men）"When love-and-marriage failed to deliver us to the promised land within， we became sad， angry， confused。 We thought we'd been cheated。 We still believed in love but clearly: you could make a mistake。" （p。 159 The End of the Novel of Love） 。。。more
Oni
，
Today， I think， love as a metaphor is an act of nostalgia， not of discovery。In The End of the Novel of Love， the amazing Vivian Gornick analyzes the evolution of love’s portrayal in Western literature throughout the 20th century。 She starts with the novel Diana of the Crossways by George Meredith and ends her literary journey with some thoughts on The Age of Grief， a novella by Jane Smiley published in 1987。 Between the two， she writes gorgeously and illuminatingly about the works of Grace Paley Today， I think， love as a metaphor is an act of nostalgia， not of discovery。In The End of the Novel of Love， the amazing Vivian Gornick analyzes the evolution of love’s portrayal in Western literature throughout the 20th century。 She starts with the novel Diana of the Crossways by George Meredith and ends her literary journey with some thoughts on The Age of Grief， a novella by Jane Smiley published in 1987。 Between the two， she writes gorgeously and illuminatingly about the works of Grace Paley， Willa Cather， Jean Rhys， Christina Stead， D。H。 Lawrence， Kate Chopin， Raymond Carver and many others， constantly asking poignant， courageous questions that have important implications。 Can love still be seen as the royal road towards self-knowledge and enlightenment？ Can contemporary literature， after a century that uncovered that the effort of forging a selfhood "is a solitary one， more akin to the act of making art than of making family” ignore this hard-won knowledge and the imperatives of the self？ Can art still portray romantic love as the only salvation without ringing hollow？Her essays are not an indictment of love or a negation of the possibility of it in our age。 They are simply an analysis of the Zeitgeist and the change in it， an acknowledgement of the shift in our psyches， and the ongoing search for the meaning of life， in which romantic love is still important， albeit not the complete answer。Gornick writes fabulously about all this。 Both fiercely and full of grace。 She never demands submission or abandonment to her stances and ideas， but her thought-provoking explorations， her intimate， powerful connection to literature， her sharp feminist eye generate nothing but respect and admiration。 For me personally it is a true pleasure to discover her voice again and again and to see how deeply and clearly she perceives the infinite dialogue between reality and art and their never-ending manners of nourishing and perfecting one another。 。。。more
Rachel Pollock
，
I have to admit， despite loads of people i deeply respect recommending Vivian Gorenick to me （this book and others）， i always find myself underwhelmed at the end。
Vel Veeter
，
This one has a much much much clearer purpose。 And I read it right after reading the Annie Dillard book on literary fiction Living by Fiction。 I described that book as a very 1980 book。 And this book it more “timeless” in a way。 Vivian Gornick is not an academic writer， but she’s clearly a gifted writer and a very good reader。 The result then is a series of readerly essays…meaning essays written by a reader who loves being a reader， is good at it， and is sharing the narrative surrounding a serie This one has a much much much clearer purpose。 And I read it right after reading the Annie Dillard book on literary fiction Living by Fiction。 I described that book as a very 1980 book。 And this book it more “timeless” in a way。 Vivian Gornick is not an academic writer， but she’s clearly a gifted writer and a very good reader。 The result then is a series of readerly essays…meaning essays written by a reader who loves being a reader， is good at it， and is sharing the narrative surrounding a series of books， as well as a sense of the books themselves。 And so as opposed to academic essays these are sort of raison libre kinds of essays showing you why you should read books。 As if you needed an excuse， but these are vital essays in their own right。 Very few of us can be academic readers， and even those who are are not automatically more important， better， or correct in their readings。 Like all of us， they are suggesting a certain reading based on their given critical lens， and like many of us， they are flawed both in their arguments and approaches。 So Gornick’s kind of intellectual readerly essays are exciting。 She will also give a list of books to check out （as Dillard does in hers） but the list is smaller here， but also more developed and deeper。So who should you read？ The quickest and easy answer is to go right to the heart of it and pick up Christina Stead。 She rightly recommends The Man who Love Children。 And she’s right， it’s great。 If you know for a fact you will never ever ever read another Christina Stead novel， read that one。 But don’t， if you’re open to keep digging。 Save it。 Read Letty Fox first， or The Little Hotel， or The House of All Nations or the Salzburg Tales first。 Otherwise you’ll be chasing that dragon。 。。。more
julieta
，
I am finding great pleasure in reading Vivian Gornick。 Its wonderful to find her views and reading of others fiction in what she writes。 These essays question whether it is still possible to find romantic love in novels， and not see it as ironic。 She speaks of many writers I have not read， and I am very curious to read now。 There is a central matter in many of these essays: is a couple to be influential in anothers life， is that to decide how someone lives their life？ She says it all depends on I am finding great pleasure in reading Vivian Gornick。 Its wonderful to find her views and reading of others fiction in what she writes。 These essays question whether it is still possible to find romantic love in novels， and not see it as ironic。 She speaks of many writers I have not read， and I am very curious to read now。 There is a central matter in many of these essays: is a couple to be influential in anothers life， is that to decide how someone lives their life？ She says it all depends on self knowledge， how we live with each other。 And， she concludes， love is not enough。 。。。more
Jason
，
I need to reread this short collection of literary criticism essays。 Gornick adeptly synopsizes the novels， characters， and authors she includes in these essays before foraying into her literary critique。 Despite this， it was difficult for me to invest in her analysis because I was so unfamiliar with most of her subjects。 On the positive side， I added some great books to my TBR list。
Jennifer Solheim
，
Vivian Gornick is one of the great voices of our times。 The End of the Novel of Love would make an excellent companion piece to The Argonauts - where Maggie Nelson explores what it means to love in an age of gender and sexual revolution， Gornick argues incisively， gorgeously， and persuasively that the terms of love have changed since the 19th century - and that this has changed the stakes of love in fiction。 With essays on Jean Rhys， Raymond Carver， Jane Smiley and Virginia Woolf （among many， ma Vivian Gornick is one of the great voices of our times。 The End of the Novel of Love would make an excellent companion piece to The Argonauts - where Maggie Nelson explores what it means to love in an age of gender and sexual revolution， Gornick argues incisively， gorgeously， and persuasively that the terms of love have changed since the 19th century - and that this has changed the stakes of love in fiction。 With essays on Jean Rhys， Raymond Carver， Jane Smiley and Virginia Woolf （among many， many others） this is one of the most breathtaking collection of interconnected essays that I have read。 。。。more
Scott Bradley
，
It has been quite some time since I tackled additional literary criticism， or， as it was known in the day， "lit-crit"。 My shunning of the genre was done for good reasons。 Let's face it， most of the writing in "lit-crit" is beyond shabby。 It became that much more galling when the writer "reading the text" was applying the theory of the day to a truly great writer。 Another motivation for my boycott was the analysis itself。 So much of it was just downright silly and frankly frivolous。Gornick is a d It has been quite some time since I tackled additional literary criticism， or， as it was known in the day， "lit-crit"。 My shunning of the genre was done for good reasons。 Let's face it， most of the writing in "lit-crit" is beyond shabby。 It became that much more galling when the writer "reading the text" was applying the theory of the day to a truly great writer。 Another motivation for my boycott was the analysis itself。 So much of it was just downright silly and frankly frivolous。Gornick is a different kind of writer。 I have read and loved her memoirs。 They are funny， moving， intelligent and impossible to put down。 Because of this I thought I would give her essays in "The End of the Novel of Love" a go and I was not disappointed。 The book is a short one and I suppose some might get away with criticizing Gornick's analysis as slight。I， however， could care less because on those pages is the Gornick I've grown to love。 Her writing is exquisite and her mind is utterly insightful。 She inspires her readers to explore other writers - handing them to us like a gift we have been hoping to receive for a long time。I am not going to return to the genre of literary criticism。 What Gornick illustrates is the heights that the genre can scale in the hands of a talented writer。 Unfortunately， there were never enough of these to inspire reading beyond the university grounds。 。。。more
Grace
，
Okay， a quick review -This book was more light， personal essays， and less literary criticism， than I had expected。 There were some truly fascinating parts of it - I particularly loved her opening chapter， or introduction， to the main premise of her hypothesis， about romantic love as the conclusion of the struggle between intelligent women and willful men （to paraphrase the very first sentence）。 Although I disagree with her hypothesis - that "love" as the metaphor， the backdrop against which the Okay， a quick review -This book was more light， personal essays， and less literary criticism， than I had expected。 There were some truly fascinating parts of it - I particularly loved her opening chapter， or introduction， to the main premise of her hypothesis， about romantic love as the conclusion of the struggle between intelligent women and willful men （to paraphrase the very first sentence）。 Although I disagree with her hypothesis - that "love" as the metaphor， the backdrop against which the novel has operated for centuries， is at an end。 I see so many changes in the ideas of "love" and commitment that I think there is still some room for it - although I agree that， in general， it has mostly all been done before。 Some of the essays were great and others were less so。 I mainly liked the essays in which she tackled a particular book， and went into the author history - as with Willa Cather and Grace Paley - but disliked the ones about individuals， which seemed more anecdotal， and lacked the references I craved to back up her claims。 The essays on Clover Adams and on Hannah Arendt & Michael Heidegger fell into the latter category。However， this was an easy read - I definitely didn't read it closely， but really enjoyed speeding through it。 I read it in two days， and I think there is something to be said for that。 As far as books on the nature of the novel， on accessible musings on literature， this is recommendable。 。。。more
Sigrun Hodne
，
I read this book after just having finished Fierce Attachments: A Memoir， and I suspect this is why I often came to think about the relation between Gornick and her own mother （as presented in "Fierce Attachments"） while reading "The End 。。。"。 In "The End 。。。" the relationship between mothers and daughters are discussed in essays on Radclyffe Hall’s "The Unlit Lamp"， May Sinclair’s "Mary Oliver"， and Edna O’Brien’s short story "A Rose in the Heart of New York"。 Gornick shows how the relationship I read this book after just having finished Fierce Attachments: A Memoir， and I suspect this is why I often came to think about the relation between Gornick and her own mother （as presented in "Fierce Attachments"） while reading "The End 。。。"。 In "The End 。。。" the relationship between mothers and daughters are discussed in essays on Radclyffe Hall’s "The Unlit Lamp"， May Sinclair’s "Mary Oliver"， and Edna O’Brien’s short story "A Rose in the Heart of New York"。 Gornick shows how the relationships between mothers and daughters in these novels are symbiotic and swallow up the daughters completely。 The daughters struggle their whole lives to free themselves， from their mothers - just as Vivian Gornick herself has done， again according to her own memoir。 What Gornick in fact is saying in these essays is that incestuous love between mothers and daughters make sane， adult relationships impossible。 Her memoir suggest she is talking from experience。 。。。more
Diane
，
A brilliant collection of essays about the idea of love in literature （and the culture at large）。 Gornick articulates what many readers （females， in particular） and writers may have only intuited for some time。 Her vision is so penetrating， her analysis so mature--both unsparing and generous--that she should be required reading in every literature course。 Here are two excerpts from the essay， "Tenderhearted Men，" which discusses the works of Hemingway， Raymond Carver， Richard Ford， and Andre Dub A brilliant collection of essays about the idea of love in literature （and the culture at large）。 Gornick articulates what many readers （females， in particular） and writers may have only intuited for some time。 Her vision is so penetrating， her analysis so mature--both unsparing and generous--that she should be required reading in every literature course。 Here are two excerpts from the essay， "Tenderhearted Men，" which discusses the works of Hemingway， Raymond Carver， Richard Ford， and Andre Dubus:"There's a certain kind of American story that is characterized by a laconic surface and a tight-lipped speaking voice。 The narrator in this story has been made inarticulate by modern life。 Vulnerable to his own loneliness， he is forced into an attitude of hard-boiled self-protection。 Yet he longs for things to be other than they are。 He yearns， in fact， for tender connection。 Just behind the leanness and coolness of the prose lies the open but doomed expectation that romantic love saves。 Settings vary and regional idioms intrude， but almost always in these stories it is men and women together that is being written about。""To create characters who are themselves unknowing is one thing; to write as though you know only as much as your characters is another。 In these stories， there is no distance at all between character and narration。 Dubus seems to be at one with these young men and women。 He is soaked in nostalgia， even as they are， for an idea of men and women together that is evaporating now--and， for many of us， can't dry up fast enough。" 。。。more
Lesley
，
The only reason this collection of wonderful essays on the novel and the love-narrative and what it means and its decline does not get 5 stars is that one of the essay was one I'd already read in The Men In My Life， so I was just a bit disappointed （though I could see how it fit in here）。 The only reason this collection of wonderful essays on the novel and the love-narrative and what it means and its decline does not get 5 stars is that one of the essay was one I'd already read in The Men In My Life， so I was just a bit disappointed （though I could see how it fit in here）。 。。。more
Subashini
，
I'm going to be lazy and simply link to Nicholas' review because it's good and summarises quite well what was left out of Gornick's discussion。This is a book I wish I had read about ten years ago because it's rich， full of unpredictable insights， particularly the sections where she talks about the anxieties and erotics of the mother-daughter bond （or trap， as it might be）。 It made me want to seek out lesser-known works by well known writers （Radclyffe Hall's The Unlit Lamp， Willa Cather's Song o I'm going to be lazy and simply link to Nicholas' review because it's good and summarises quite well what was left out of Gornick's discussion。This is a book I wish I had read about ten years ago because it's rich， full of unpredictable insights， particularly the sections where she talks about the anxieties and erotics of the mother-daughter bond （or trap， as it might be）。 It made me want to seek out lesser-known works by well known writers （Radclyffe Hall's The Unlit Lamp， Willa Cather's Song of the Lark and also books I'd never heard of， like George Meredith's Diana of the Crossways and May Sinclair's Mary Olivier）。 I'm stumped， though， by her discussion of Arendt and Heidegger， which I think boils down to "sex， or an erotic attachment fused with mental compatibility， leads to bad judgment" which I suppose can be true but seems to let Arendt off the hook （and doesn't take into account her politics， and the role it might have played in her relationship with Heidegger and her subsequent defence of his position）。 In other words， there might be more to Arendt's susceptibility to Heidegger's vile politics than mere "the sex was good"/"the mind sex was even better"， etc。 I'm being unfair to Gornick here but it generally reads this way。Then， there is the matter of Gornick's disillusionment with communism， which， ehhhh。 No。 。。。more
David Clark
，
I am awarding this book of literary critique a "provisional" three star rating。 This does not mean I think the prose is bad。 On the contrary， Vivian Gornick writes with considerable style， even elegance。 Rather， this is a work of a thoughtful， knowledgable， and passionately opinionated critic。 It is also a work that requires that a reader desiring to interact with the text on more than a superficial level must be well read， very well read。 To Ms。 Gornick's credit， her book did not discourage me I am awarding this book of literary critique a "provisional" three star rating。 This does not mean I think the prose is bad。 On the contrary， Vivian Gornick writes with considerable style， even elegance。 Rather， this is a work of a thoughtful， knowledgable， and passionately opinionated critic。 It is also a work that requires that a reader desiring to interact with the text on more than a superficial level must be well read， very well read。 To Ms。 Gornick's credit， her book did not discourage me by discussing and referencing numerous texts I had not read。 Rather， her analysis and strong critique incited me to add-to and re-order my "to-read" list。 I want to re-visit "The End of the Novel of Love" after I have read more of the primary work。 。。。more
astried
，