A couple weeks ago, Matt Ashby and Brendan Carroll argued in a Salon piece that David Foster Wallace, who wrote an essay about the television and irony back in the early ‘90s, presciently diagnosed the danger of snark in our own age. Now Peter Finocchiaro, a senior editor at Salon, argues instead that we need irony more than we ever have. You could also read A-J Aronstein’s notes from the DFW Symposium.
Not What You Said Before
Me and my ghost and my ghost ghostwriting
There was an article in the New York Times on cook book ghostwriters, and it called Gwyneth Paltrow out for not writing My Father's Daughter. Then the actress cum gourmand denied having worked with a ghostwriter in a tweet. Now Sari Botton, a frequent ghostwriter, has tried to clear the whole thing up in an essay on The Rumpus on why ghostwriting is such a fickle business, and a tricky term.
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Close Call
After losing funding last spring, the Orange Prize has experienced a rebirth, gaining new financial backers and changing names; it will now be known as the Women's Prize for Fiction.
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Against the “Literary”
Rob Horning doesn’t like the word “literary.” Not one bit.
How Advanced is the Reading Level of Your Website?
Google has launched a new search filter to its "advanced search page" that allows people to sort content based on reading level -- basic, intermediate, or advanced. Google thinks The Millions lands in the middle. Search your website using the feature to see how Google rates it. (Disclaimer: we can't see any rhyme or reason to their ratings.) (Update for you visitors from Gawker: If this Google business bores you - and lets be honest, it's not that exciting - stick around and check out our much more scintillating Year in Reading series, featuring Margaret Atwood, John Banville, Sam Lipsyte and all manner of literary luminaries.)
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An NBA Highlights Reel
The WaPo's Ron Charles delivers a rapid-fire video review of the National Book Award nominees.
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Mississippi Music Issue
The Oxford American's thirteenth annual music issue is on shelves now, and it comes with a 27-track mix CD. This year, the OA folks have focused on Mississippi musicians. You can get a free sample on their website.
Marking Territory
Recommended Reading: Don DeLillo’s fiction is “a better guide to the subtleties of terrorism than proclamations of military experts or political academics.”
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