Book Review Reality Hunger
by David Shields
Book Review: Reality Hunger
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Marketed as a pseudo-philosophical ‘incendiary call to arms for new literature’, when it’s boiled down, this book is nothing but a collection of quotes, coming from a vast range of sources, grouped into various chapters according to theme.
There is no intrinsic problem in this in itself, although it doesn’t make for a thrilling read. The catch is that “author” (read ‘compiler’) David Shields does not acknowledge his sources until the very end of the book. Quietly, and in very small type. Only about 10% of the content appears to be actual original thought initiated by Mr Shields, a fact which is skipped over quickly and subtly in the book’s blurb.
Either Shields is attempting to take most of the credit for a mass of intellectual thinking on many topics, or (and I suspect this is unfortunately the case) he’s using his entire book to attempt to make a pretentious statement about what he believes is the collectivist nature of contemporary academia.
Both of these possibilities are ridiculous. It’s difficult to see how this book ever made it to publication.
hb, Bloomsbury, £17.99
Posted on Wednesday 3rd March 2010
PW
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