Reading Old Books: Writing with Traditions

Peter Mack explores the creative power of literary tradition, from Chaucer to the present, revealing how it helps writers and readers make new works and meanings. He argues that the best way to understand tradition is by examining the moments when a writer takes up an old text and writes something new out of a dialogue with that text and the promptings of the present situation.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 24 September 2019
Publisher: Princeton University Press

In the realm of literary and cultural studies, the concept of tradition holds a significant place, yet it receives limited critical attention. In his book, Reading Old Books, Peter Mack delves into a comprehensive exploration of the creative power of literary tradition, spanning from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century. Through innovative approaches, Mack reveals how tradition empowers writers and readers to generate new works and meanings.

Reading Old Books posits that the most effective way to comprehend tradition is by examining instances where writers engage with ancient texts and produce fresh compositions in response to the contemporary context. The book delves into Petrarch's role as a user, instigator, and victim of tradition, showcasing how Chaucer emerged as the first great English writer by translating and adapting a minor poem by Boccaccio. It further explores how Ariosto, Tasso, and Spenser created new epic meanings by manipulating assumptions, episodes, and phrases inherited from their predecessors. The analysis extends to how the Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell drew on tradition to address the pressing issue of urban deprivation in Mary Barton. Additionally, the book examines how the Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong o, in his 2004 novel Wizard of the Crow, reflects on biblical, English literary, and African traditions.

By drawing upon a diverse range of theorists, critics, historians, and sociologists, Reading Old Books emphasizes the global nature of literary tradition. It sheds light on the complex choices readers and writers make when collaborating and competing with their models to create meaning. This insightful work contributes to our understanding of the dynamic interplay between tradition and creativity, offering valuable insights into the rich tapestry of literary heritage.

Weight: 554g
Dimension: 237 x 152 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691194004