Comments on: The Irresponsible Self

By: The Book blog - titles and authors » Talkin’ Pinkeye, Coughing Fit, Hand Foot & Mouth Disease Blues

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:02:17 +0000

[...] who gets to criticize James Wood, and how to acceptably do so, that would be a great service. Apparently you’re not allowed to be an online nobody with an opinion, and the hysterical reali… Any attempts at a close textual reading will be branded character assassination. I give [...]

By: NIGELBEALE.COM NOTA BENE BOOKS » Blog Archive » Book Review: James Wood’s The Irresponsible Self, by Nigel Beale.

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:12:30 +0000

[...] review first appeared on Ed Champion’s Filthy Habits Website February 19, [...]

By: Nigel Beale

Nigel Beale — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:30:59 +0000

I read Dan Green’s piece some time ago. I disagree with you. There is a good thread of commentary that explains why over at Stephen Crowe’s site here:

http://urbarbo.blogspot.com/2008/01/literary-blogs-and-james-wood-neurosis_02.html

By: eNotes Book Blog » Blog Archive » Ayn Rand and Her Dating Service…

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:46:21 +0000

[...] Guardian and Ed talk about James Wood’s new book. One is much nicer than the [...]

By: Eric Rosenfield

Eric Rosenfield — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:20:44 +0000

Here’s an example of Wood’s criticism’s being answered quite ably:
http://noggs.typepad.com/the_reading_experience/2004/10/james_wood.html

By: NIGELBEALE.COM NOTA BENE BOOKS » Blog Archive » More James Wood:Reader Consent: It’s your Choice.

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:12:28 +0000

[...] kind feedback on my Filthy Habits review of James Wood’s The Irresponsible Self from ReadysteadyBooks, and Books Inq. Also an interesting comment by Steven Augustine at Wisdom of [...]

By: Jim H.

Jim H. — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:15:45 +0000

Nigel,

Spot on reading of Wood. Pop on over to Wisdom of the West where I’ve been blogging my own close reading of Wood’s How Fiction Works since I got my copy from amazon.co.uk. My own POV is as a writer of fiction, tho’ I have my MA in Philosophy with a concentration on Literary Criticism.

Issues that have arisen so far in my reading: Wood’s privileging of subjectivity and individuality; Wood’s focus on how fiction works at the level of the sentence or the trope to the neglect of how it works at the level of story or plot; Wood’s contribution to the ‘Death of the Author’ tradition (from Flaubert through the New Critics through Barthes); among others.

I would certainly welcome your comments.

Best,
Jim H.

By: Eric Rosenfield

Eric Rosenfield — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:08:03 +0000

To date, Wood’s criticisms have gone unanswered save for the odd reactionary calls.

I’m not convinced this is true. I think some very cogent arguments have been made against Wood’s conclusions in various places.