A Stroll with William James

Before reading A Stroll with William James, my only familiarity with William James was a short section of A.P. History (after the exam) on American philosophers. I like Barzun's writing style - whether expounding on philosophy or advising on research. One of my favorite teachers was educated at Columbia during the Barzun/Trilling years, and I can hear him talking through Barzun.

The writing style needs to be addressed in a review of this book, since I concede it might put off some readers. Barzun is a cultural historian and somewhat of a professional grumpy old man. He wields a thorough knowledge of just about everything to deride people from several centuries who have put their poorly thought-out ideas and misunderstandings to paper. show more His point of view is often unabashedly dead-white-male-centric, and he sometimes makes assumptions about James's life that one is certain come from his own experience. If you find all of that endearing rather than irritating, you are in for a rare treat.

This book is about a love affair with an idea. Barzun does not start with any pretense that he is writing a biography of William James, or a history of Pragmatism. Instead he starts with an explanation of why he finds James so compelling, and in the succeeding chapters takes on critics of Pragmatism, James's students, the modern university, the difference between morality and religion, and the kitchen sink. He defends James with ferocity against his detractors and presents the reader with a dizzying array of facts, quotations and references commensurate with his reputation as a researcher. I had to put the book down every few pages to chase down a book or an author for my future reading list. I read countless clever quotations to anyone standing next to me.

One tiny quibble: not one mention of Jane Addams, who wrote a dozen published books and over 500 articles? But small price to pay for sparkling writing and an exposition of the least understood thinker in American history. show less