Well, after reviving the blog, I’ve decided to kill it again. But there’s good news: I started a new blog over at tumblr. Basically the same deal as Enfield Books, but with a new name, new look, and the same pedantic litspeak. The URL is: theintentionalfallacy.tumblr.com. All the goodies that were here on deck will [...]
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Now Defunct
Posted in Uncategorized on July 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The Revival
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Ernest Hemingway, Martin Amis, Tony Judt on July 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Hello devoted readers (all zero of you!),
Actually, I guess that’s not entirely true, apparently damn near ten people inexplicably looked at this blog a few days ago. I still know not why, but it is reason enough for me to resuscitate my dedication to long, arduous book reviews and other cultural and literary commentary. [...]
The Picture
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Fiction, The Picture on April 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
There was a picture I always thought of when I was with her. The picture was not of us –no, we shied away from anything so permanent, believing that our moments, our seconds, of bliss were only so because they would soon be past. No, the picture was of an anonymous woman’s thighs, [...]
It’s no mystery
Posted in Uncategorized on December 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Daniel Handler, in his jacket leaf blurb for Gregoire Bouillier’s The Mystery Guest, writes, “I woke up the other morning and started to read this marvelous book. I stayed in bed until I read the last page. I could not for the life of me think of anything in the world I wanted to do [...]
Can I post without mentioning James Wood? Wait…
Posted in Uncategorized on October 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
…seems like I’ve failed already. (The moratorium on Wood begins after this post!)
In my defense, it’s hard not to talk about Wood when he’s lauded as “our best critic,” (Ozick) and occupies a certain position on literature that I find myopic and somewhat conservative. He is certainly an extraordinary reader, and he takes [...]
“You should see these people: it’s all Thurber, and Trilling, and…Bunny Wilson.”
Posted in Uncategorized on August 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
For those of you who have seen the film Quiz Show more than 10 times, as I unfortunately or fortunately have, you might recognize the tagline for this post (which may be misquoted). For those of you who have seen it at least once, you know the plot: Charles Van Doren, a Columbia professor [...]
It’s been a long time…
Posted in Uncategorized on August 6, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
..and I think I should be going? For those who have been reading (and who like Boston), I think I will be posting some kind of minor treatise tomorrow before I take off for Costa Rica.
I’ve been absorbed by (re: forcing myself to read) Edmund Wilson’s classic book of literary criticism, Axel’s Castle. [...]
A disclaimer…
Posted in Uncategorized on July 6, 2007 | 3 Comments »
I recently had a discussion with a friend of mine about the acceptable behavior of a writer. We agreed that a “real writer,” i.e. a writer with talent, would never say, “Yes, I’m a writer, and a fine one at that.” It seems to me that along with literary talent comes an almost [...]
What’s on deck?
Posted in Uncategorized on July 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Well, now that I know I have at least one reader (big up Celine), I feel obligated to give some idea of what’s on the agenda for the coming weeks so you can plan your vacations and other activities around checking Enfield:
1)I am currently reading “Vanity Fair” in order to complete the reading for my [...]
As if another blog were necessary…
Posted in Introductory Remarks, Uncategorized on July 2, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Hello all (and by all, I think I mean the abstract possibility of future readership),
Welcome to the Enfield Book Review! My name is Jed Cohen and I will be your sole (for the time being) book reviewer and trusty guide through the morass of language dubbed (perhaps incorrectly) literature. Rather than follow the [...]
