Some fun facts, but a little too Brit Lit major for me. ( )

Modeled on Isaac D'Israeli's Curiosities of Literature, John Sutherland's Literary Curiosities (Skyhorse, 2009) is a loose compendium of short pieces about literature and its characters. Sutherland writes in the introduction "Some of the pieces may be considered too unserious for even unserious readers; some boring; some already stale; some codswallop. Most, I hope, will divert. Driving the enterprise is less the intention to instruct, or inform, then to communicate the random pleasures which may be found in reading literature, and reading about literature."

Fair enough. If one takes Sutherland at his word, and sees this book as a bit of brain candy, to be amused (and possibly intrigued) by, it does the job. The essays are generally interesting, and there are some intriguing questions examined. There are no references cited, which of course always bothers me (at least a bibliography would be helpful, in case anyone is struck by the need to delve further into a topic).

Overall - fine for the occasional browse, or an afternoon's diversion.

http://philobiblos.blogspot.com/2009/... ( )

Curiosities of Literature is a collection of short musings on literary miscellany, including such topics as “The First Typewriter-Writer,” “The Worst Novelist Ever,” and “Most Misquoted.” I like to read about books, so I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, I found Sutherland’s prose, loaded with self-indulgent complexity, to be almost incomprehensible.

Here’s an example from “The Ultra-Literary Biscuit”:
"Paterson Arran’s ‘Brontë’ shortbread (so called for entirely inscrutable reasons) is reported to be the top-selling brand among MPs at Westminster’ Portcullis House. Cheering news for the Scottish Nationalists (the maker Paterson Arran is as Caledonian as their product). The biscuit that takes the literary biscuit, so to speak, is Proust’s madeleine, the redolent taste of which inspires the long ruminations of Remembrance of Things Past."

Another example from “Adjectivals”:
"The epithets ‘Brontean’ and Thackerayan’ are common in critical and general discourse. I frequently use them myself and very useful they are. But, curiously, some authors’ lives, lifestyles, reputations, and literary works distil conveniently into adjectivality, and others inconveniently resist conversion. Peter Conradi, for example, gets through 500 pages of his authorized life of the novelist without once using ‘Murdochian’. Having read those pages, however, one has a precise idea of what the uncouth term would mean, if anyone, less stylistically scrupulous than Professor Conradi, cared to invent it."

Sutherland’s witty pomposity will either entertain you or drive you mad. Unfortunately, I found myself in the latter category. Consider which camp you belong to before reading this one.

This review also appears on my literary blog Literary License. ( )