Artistic License : Three Centuries of Good Writing and Bad Behavior

Rating:
Summary: A critical evaluation of three centuries of good writing
Review: Brooke Allen is a rising literary star whose prior look at 20th century writers received rave reviews; but ARTISTIC LICENSE requires no prior familiarity to stand alone as another excellent literary consideration. Allen's theme here is the dysfunctional, destructive nature of great talent: her survey of changing moral and ideological systems and the rebellion in writer's lives provides quite a lively and critical evaluation of three centuries of good writing and scandalous scholars.


Rating:
Summary: Fair and balanced
Review: First let me say the rationale for grouping these diverse literary essays is misleading; despite contrary claims on the book jacket, not all of the authors included led blemished lives. It probably seemed as good editorial justification for compiling these literary biographical essays as any, as they were clearly written for very different purposes over the years.

But getting beyond that minor critique, the collection is uniformly entertaining, informative and well-written. Allen is an opinionated and witty critic, and is not shy about taking on others in the field (e.g. Joyce Carol Oates in one essay). And while this book may act as a pleasant intro to the authors discussed, it rarely scales the heights of either profundity or dazzling insight which someone like James Wood can provide. Anyone superficially familiar with many of these writers will find themselves trodding familiar ground. For the novice, however, they are a very good place to start.