A visit to Vanity fair : moral essays on the present age / Alan Jacobs.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jacobs, Alan, 1958-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Christianity and culture.

Physical Description:

173 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Grand Rapids, Mich. : Brazos Press, [2001]

Summary:

This lively revival of the moral essay blends personal reflections with cultural criticism to address topics close to our experience -- reading the Bible (or Harry Potter) with our children, sitting with a dying friend, or watching television wildlife documentaries. In eloquent prose, it gracefully models the act of paying attention. This is just what we needed -- the moral essay, revived and at its best, "striving for charity but passionate in its sympathy for human pain and weakness; aware of the powers of writing to help us enjoy or endure our lives."

Contents:

1. A Bible Fit for Children 25

2. Dowsing in Scripture 41

3. Preachers Without Poetry 49

4. An Exchange of Fears 63

5. Friendship and Its Discontents 71

6. Signs and Wonders 83

7. The Revenge of the Scroll 87

8. It Ain't Me, Babe 97

9. In on the Kill 109

10. Lewis at 100 115

11. Donald Davie 127

12. Harry Potter's Magic 139

13. Blinded by the Light 149

14. A Visit to Vanity Fair 159

15. Postscript: Lives of the Essayists 167.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

1587430142

OCLC:

45620852