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Inside the Critics' Circle : Book Reviewing in Uncertain Times / Phillipa K. Chong.

By: Material type: TextTextSeries: Princeton Studies in Cultural Sociology ; 12Publisher: Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2020]Copyright date: ©2020Description: 1 online resource (192 p.) : 1 b/w illus. 3 tablesContent type:
Media type:
Carrier type:
ISBN:
  • 9780691167466
  • 9780691186030
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 028.1 23
Other classification:
  • online - DeGruyter
Online resources: Available additional physical forms:
  • Issued also in print.
Contents:
Frontmatter -- Contents -- Chapter 1. Introduction -- Part 1. Epistemic Uncertainty -- Introduction -- Chapter 2. How Reviewing Works -- Chapter 3. Accounting for Taste -- Part 2. Social Uncertainty -- Introduction -- Chapter 4. Reviewing as Risky Business -- Chapter 5. Aim for the Stars: Punching Up, Never Down -- Part 3. Institutional Uncertainty -- Introduction -- Chapter 6. I Am Not a Critic -- Chapter 7. Do We Need Book Reviews? -- Chapter 8. Conclusion -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index
Summary: An inside look at the politics of book reviewing, from the assignment and writing of reviews to why critics think we should listen to what they have to sayTaking readers behind the scenes in the world of fiction reviewing, Inside the Critics' Circle explores the ways that critics evaluate books despite the inherent subjectivity involved, and the uncertainties of reviewing when seemingly anyone can be a reviewer. Drawing on interviews with critics from such venues as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post, Phillipa Chong delves into the complexities of the review-writing process, including the considerations, values, and cultural and personal anxieties that shape what critics do.Chong explores how critics are paired with review assignments, why they accept these time-consuming projects, how they view their own qualifications for reviewing certain books, and the criteria they employ when making literary judgments. She discovers that while their readers are of concern to reviewers, they are especially worried about authors on the receiving end of reviews. As these are most likely peers who will be returning similar favors in the future, critics' fears and frustrations factor into their willingness or reluctance to write negative reviews.At a time when traditional review opportunities are dwindling while other forms of reviewing thrive, book reviewing as a professional practice is being brought into question. Inside the Critics' Circle offers readers a revealing look into critics' responses to these massive transitions and how, through their efforts, literary values get made.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number URL Status Notes Barcode
eBook eBook Biblioteca "Angelicum" Pont. Univ. S.Tommaso d'Aquino Nuvola online online - DeGruyter (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Online access Not for loan (Accesso limitato) Accesso per gli utenti autorizzati / Access for authorized users (dgr)9780691186030

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Chapter 1. Introduction -- Part 1. Epistemic Uncertainty -- Introduction -- Chapter 2. How Reviewing Works -- Chapter 3. Accounting for Taste -- Part 2. Social Uncertainty -- Introduction -- Chapter 4. Reviewing as Risky Business -- Chapter 5. Aim for the Stars: Punching Up, Never Down -- Part 3. Institutional Uncertainty -- Introduction -- Chapter 6. I Am Not a Critic -- Chapter 7. Do We Need Book Reviews? -- Chapter 8. Conclusion -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

restricted access online access with authorization star

http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec

An inside look at the politics of book reviewing, from the assignment and writing of reviews to why critics think we should listen to what they have to sayTaking readers behind the scenes in the world of fiction reviewing, Inside the Critics' Circle explores the ways that critics evaluate books despite the inherent subjectivity involved, and the uncertainties of reviewing when seemingly anyone can be a reviewer. Drawing on interviews with critics from such venues as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post, Phillipa Chong delves into the complexities of the review-writing process, including the considerations, values, and cultural and personal anxieties that shape what critics do.Chong explores how critics are paired with review assignments, why they accept these time-consuming projects, how they view their own qualifications for reviewing certain books, and the criteria they employ when making literary judgments. She discovers that while their readers are of concern to reviewers, they are especially worried about authors on the receiving end of reviews. As these are most likely peers who will be returning similar favors in the future, critics' fears and frustrations factor into their willingness or reluctance to write negative reviews.At a time when traditional review opportunities are dwindling while other forms of reviewing thrive, book reviewing as a professional practice is being brought into question. Inside the Critics' Circle offers readers a revealing look into critics' responses to these massive transitions and how, through their efforts, literary values get made.

Issued also in print.

Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.

In English.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 26. Mai 2021)