The Oxford Book of the Sea - Couverture souple

Raban, Jonathan

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0192831488 ISBN 13 : 9780192831484

Editeur : Oxford Paperbacks, 1993

Synopsis

It is no suprise that one of the earliest works in English literature should be a poem about the sea: the sea has been a source of fascination from the earliest times and the Anglo Saxon poem "The Seafarer" is only the first in a long series of writings that ponder its mystery. A powerful and restless presence in real life, the sea is one of the most ubiquitous and protean symbols in literature, changing in response to shifts in sensibility and holding a mirror to all who confront it - Renaissance explorers and Augustan gentlemen, romantic outcasts and Victorian travellers, packet tourists and small-boat sailors, naturalists and novelists, poets and oceanographers: men and women in a state of wonder before the sea. The editor's introduction consists of an essay on the meaning of the sea in literature and the pieces he has chosen display the richness of writing in the tradition. Alongside extracts from the acknowledged marine masterpieces are many other contributions: Emily Dickenson's poem "Exaltation is the Going"; a meditation on a seaside holiday by Larkin; Jane Austin's satirizing of Byron's romanticized sea; Thoreau's contemplation of monsters and lost anchors off Cape Cod; and Willard Bascom's description of breaking waves.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

It is no surprise that one of the earliest works in English literature should be a poem about the sea: the sea has been a source of fascination from the earliest times, and the Anglo-Saxon poem 'The Seafarer' is only the first in a long series of writings which ponder its mystery. A powerful and restless presence in real life, the sea is one of the most ubiquitous and protean symbols in literature, changing in response to shifts in sensibility, and holding a mirror to all who confront it - Renaissance explorers and Augustan gentlemen, Romantic outcasts and Victorian travellers, small-boat sailors, naturalists and novelists, poets and oceanographers: men and women in a state of wonder before the sea. Jonathan Raban brings a special awareness and knowledge to his role as editor; in the words of Colin Thubron, 'nobody of his generation writes more subtly or imaginatively on travel'. Raban's introduction constitutes an important essay on the meaning of the sea in literature, and the pieces he has chosen display the exhilarating richness of writing in the tradition. Alongside extracts from the acknowledged marine masterpieces are many unexpected delights: Emily Dickinson's affirmative poem 'Exhalation is the Going'; a meditation on a seaside holiday by Larkin; Jane Austen's tart satirizing of Byron's Romanticized sea; Thoreau's contemplation of monsters and lost anchors off Cape Cod; Willard Bascom's brilliantly observed description of breaking waves. As richly varied and enthralling as the sea itself, this sparkling collection spans the centuries from AD 900 to the present and forms a unique and important body of writing to delight in and admire.

Biographie de l'auteur

Jonathan Raban was born in 1942, educated at Hull University, and was for a time a lecturer at UCW Aberystwyth and the University of East Anglia before becoming a full-time writer in 1969. His books include 'Soft City' (1973), 'Arabia Through the Looking Glass' (1979), 'Old Glory' (1981, Heinemann Award, RSL Thomas Cook Award), 'Foreign Land' (1985), 'Coasting' (1986), 'For Love and Money' (1987), and 'Hunting Mister Heartbreak' (1990, Thomas Cook Award). He has sailed alone round Britain and has spent much time afloat on the coastal seas of Europe. He is now living in Seattle, where he sails a Swedish ketch on the rim of the North Pacific.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Oxford Paperbacks
• Date d'édition: 1993
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0192831488
• ISBN 13: 9780192831484
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 542
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: Ufficio Anagrafiche Messaggerie; ufficio.anagrafiche@meli.it; ; Via Verdi, 8; Assago Milano; 20090; Italie