Scan barcode
A review by cythera15
Distant Reading by Franco Moretti
5.0
Finally finished Distant Reading and I am so glad I did! Moretti is a very experimental thinker and, despite all the criticisms he received, his works did begin a new way that literary studies can be done. New World Literature and new literary history (based on network and data).
My favorite essay in the book was "Modern European Literature: A Geographical Sketch." His exploration of how European literature came to be -- both as a group of 'national' literatures and a counterpart of world literature -- was quite enlightening for me. I have been thinking a lot about how we should think about the novel, especially in the global context. Moretti provides an account that seems to recognize the historical influence of the West while also respecting the creativity of non-Western literature. His suggestion that new narrative forms, including detective novels and science fiction, are trying to replace the typical, realist European novels was also an interesting suggestion. It would be great to see if it is true.
Moretti's style is simple but engaging. Many of his sentences are simple and direct but they express complex thoughts. He often uses a word phrase and short paragraphs but they do not take away from the depth of his arguments. I am also constantly amazed at the depth & breadth of his knowledge. He refers to modernist works in Brazil, China, and Japan, as well as to works in Italy, England, and Germany. I wish I could be like him one day!
I probably will end up reading the book again in the future because it has many interesting results, conjectures, suggestions, experiments, and theories. There were many good suggestions about studying the genre of detective novels as well -- something I could use for my classes!
My favorite essay in the book was "Modern European Literature: A Geographical Sketch." His exploration of how European literature came to be -- both as a group of 'national' literatures and a counterpart of world literature -- was quite enlightening for me. I have been thinking a lot about how we should think about the novel, especially in the global context. Moretti provides an account that seems to recognize the historical influence of the West while also respecting the creativity of non-Western literature. His suggestion that new narrative forms, including detective novels and science fiction, are trying to replace the typical, realist European novels was also an interesting suggestion. It would be great to see if it is true.
Moretti's style is simple but engaging. Many of his sentences are simple and direct but they express complex thoughts. He often uses a word phrase and short paragraphs but they do not take away from the depth of his arguments. I am also constantly amazed at the depth & breadth of his knowledge. He refers to modernist works in Brazil, China, and Japan, as well as to works in Italy, England, and Germany. I wish I could be like him one day!
I probably will end up reading the book again in the future because it has many interesting results, conjectures, suggestions, experiments, and theories. There were many good suggestions about studying the genre of detective novels as well -- something I could use for my classes!