Subjects:  1. American - General    2. American Satire And Humor    3. Essays    4. Family    5. Form - Essays    6. Humor    7. Literary Collections    8. Literature: Classics    9. Middle age    10. Topic - Family    11. English    12. Essays, journals, letters & other prose works    13. Literary studies: general    14. USA   

Reviews (10)

The fun that could once be had
Among the lighter and more overlooked sorrows of living in a post-terroristic era of conflict is all of the fun that could once be had, but no more, like - arguably - everything that takes place in this engrossing and extremely, extremely funny book, but one in particular:cleaning out one's refrigerator by mailing everything rotten (there's a way to do this with no postage, though you'll have to read this book to find out, and if you were to try it now, you'd have 10 SWAT teams on your doorstep in 36 hours or less) to everyone who might have ever annoyed you in some way.
The Prankster's Bible
This is the ultimate prankster handbook, an inspirational guide to mischief and mayhem. It is one of those books you can read bit by bit as there is a lot of material to absorb (not that you couldn't read it all at once, but it's like a rich cheesecake, you will want to savour each bite instead of gorging). The interviews are of varied allurement, some yielding more elation than others, but then you can't please everyone all of the time. Some of the stories told seem almost too wild to be real, until you see the accompanying photographs or news clippings and realize that some people have far better stories to tell than you or I ever will. And they aren't kidding, either.
Fantastic, Wacky Subversion
I lost my first copy of this in Nags Head in 1993. That's OK, it should be shared with as many people as possible because the pages are filled with shocking, playful, silly pranks from a host of prank 'generes.' A guy blows himself up at a high school reunion, another paints american flags on snails and on and on and. The books seems to capture a pre-PC time also: the 1980s. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Satire And Humor    2. Anecdotes    3. Artists    4. Fiction    5. Interviews    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Practical jokes    8. Short Stories (Anthologies)    9. United States    10. Cultural studies   

Subjects:  1. History and criticism    2. Humor    3. Literature - Classics / Criticism    4. Satire And Humor    5. Wit and humor    6. Literary studies: general   

Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Latin    3. Literary Criticism    4. Literary studies: classical, early & medieval    5. Literature - Classics / Criticism    6. Poetry texts & anthologies   

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. American Essays    3. American wit and humor    4. Essays    5. General    6. History and criticism    7. Humor    8. Literary Collections    9. Literature: Classics    10. Satire And Humor    11. Southern States    12. Southwest, Old   

Reviews (1)

Worthwhile addition to Eighteeenth-Century Studies
McFarlane's book is quite good on the topic it covers.It avoids essentializing or questing after gay identity in a politically-motivated way (although this too has led to worthwhile criticism), and remainsskeptical and interested in the ways that the figure of the sodomite isconstructed as a political and moral trope that captures many other"transgressions" beyond that it claims to name.Particularlyrelevant and enlightening are his readings of Smollet and Cleland's Memoirsof a Woman of Pleasure. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 17th century    2. Early modern, 1500-1700    3. England    4. English Literature (Specific Aspects)    5. English fiction    6. Gay & Lesbian    7. Gay Studies    8. Gay men in literature    9. General    10. History    11. History and criticism    12. Homosexuality and literature    13. Literary Criticism    14. Literature - Classics / Criticism    15. Sexuality In Literature    16. English    17. Gay & Lesbian studies    18. Literary studies: 16th to 18th centuries    19. Novels, other prose & writers: 16th to 18th centuries    20. United Kingdom, Great Britain    21. c 1600 to c 1700    22. c 1700 to c 1800   

Subjects:  1. 1265-1321    2. 1265-1321.    3. 1313-1375    4. 1313-1375.    5. Ancient and Classical    6. Boccaccio, Giovanni,    7. Dante Alighieri,    8. Decamerone    9. Divina commedia    10. European - Italian    11. Influence    12. Italian Literature    13. Literary Criticism    14. Literature - Classics / Criticism    15. Medieval    16. Boccaccio, Giovanni    17. Dante Alighieri    18. Italian    19. Literary Criticism & Collections / European    20. Literary studies: 16th to 18th centuries    21. Poetry & poets   

Editorial Review

A socially adept newcomer fluidly inserts himself into an unnamed Russian town, conquering first the drinkers, then the dignitaries. All find him amiable, estimable, agreeable. But what exactly is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov up to?--something that will soon throw the town "into utter perplexity." Read more

Reviews (48)

Gogol's great
Before you go any further, please note that only the first "volume" of this novel is worth reading, and you can stop reading at that point without missing a thing.Apparently, Gogol had intended to write three full volumes, but several times in the middle of writing the second volume he burned his manuscripts and by then his "genius" period had passed.P and V's edition only has sketches of the second volume.There are missing pages and missing chapters and unfinished sentences.Reading the second volume was a huge let down.The spark was entirely gone.
I just can't stop saying nice things about this book
Years ago, I was in love with Jane Austen.Now, I love Gogol.I'll say it.He makes me laugh.He's a funny guy.He's the kind of guy that you want to meet when you're walking down the street.I will gladly sell my dead peasant souls to this Chichikov.I won't argue, I won't complain about the exchange rates.Gogol is a mad, runaway genius, and when I am on my deathbed I will say to my children: Gogol made it all worthwhile.

Just bad
This book just drowns in the satire it tries to create.It takes extremely long just to get to the real plot of the story and throughout that setup it's just the same thing over and over again: Meet a drunk, stupid noble; Befriend him; and buy his dead souls.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 1533-1917    2. Classics    3. Fiction    4. General    5. Humorous stories    6. Literary    7. Literature - Classics / Criticism    8. Russia    9. Russian Novel And Short Story    10. Satire    11. Social life and customs    12. Fiction / Literary   

Editorial Review

This book satisfies both requirements of a good anthology. First, it stands on its own as an entertaining, satisfying book. Second, it acts as a valuable map, pointing the way to further investigation should an inspired reader choose to do so. Since it wears its serious intent on its sleeve, political satire finds favor with intellectuals (particularly academics) much more easily than other forms of humor. Thus, you can bet that Read more

Reviews (1)

Enjoyable
I'm 14 and read "American Satire" because I am very interested in the subject.This book was, in my opinion, was enjoyable andinteresting.Some of the satire was over my head, therefore a littleboring, but the nice thing about short stories is that you can always goback to them.Benjamin Franklin, Will Rogers, Ambrose Bierce, and ArtBuchwald were my favorites.This book also gives a little backgroundinformation on the authors who wrote the stories.My only problem with thebook itself was that some of the stories are just excerpts from largerbooks.I would've liked to see the complete version of the "TheDevil's Dictionary" because it is extremely funny.But if yourinterested in satire or American literature, this is something that you'llwant to check out. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Satire And Humor    2. American literature    3. Civilization    4. Essays    5. Form - Essays    6. General    7. Humor    8. Literary Criticism    9. Literature - Classics / Criticism    10. Satire, American    11. United States    12. Fiction / General   

Reviews (6)

From the Author...
Many of the reviews posted here are about the merits of Orwell's book "Animal Farm," not about the review book I wrote.Love "Animal Farm" or hate, as you will.The purpose of this review book is to point out for those who read Orwell's book, the history he used in creating his political allegory, and to make connectionsthat go beyond talking animals taking over a farm!And as review books go, I think this one is a good one!

Exellent!!
I am in eighth grade and we just read this book.It is very good, and I enjoy how it depicts the Russian Revolution. It is neat how each of theanimals represents a real character from history.It is a wonderful way toput the concept of the Russian Revolution into perspective and make it easyto understand, far better than reading a history book could.The personwho said "not a great choice" must have not understood the bookcorrectly, or perhaps the concept was beyond her understanding, becauseonly then could I see how one could not enjoy it.Definatly, if you readthis book, you should wait until and LEAST eighth grade, preferably tenth,or you probably wont enjoy it.I read it in sixth grade and hated it, andthen again in eighth grade and thought that it was exellent!

Russian Revolution
Animal Farm, In my opinoin is the best book ever written besides Romeo and Juliet. It is a different look on communism and the Russian Revolution. If you are thinking about reading this book, please do! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1903-1950    2. Animal farm    3. Book Notes    4. Cliff's/ Monarch / Barron's Book Notes    5. Examinations    6. Fables, English    7. Literature: Classics    8. Orwell, George,    9. Political fiction, English    10. Satire, English    11. Study guides    12. English    13. English literature: literary criticism    14. Novels, other prose & writers: from c 1900 -    15. Orwell, George    16. Study Aids / Book Notes    17. Study guides, home study & revision notes   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. English fiction    3. English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    4. Great Britain    5. History    6. History and criticism    7. Humorous stories, English    8. Literary Criticism    9. Literature - Classics / Criticism    10. Literature and society    11. English    12. Literary Criticism & Collections / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    13. Literary studies: from c 1900 -    14. Novels, other prose & writers: from c 1900 -    15. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Reviews (10)

I like this novel
Crome Yellow was Adolous Huxley's first novel. It describes the life of leisure of the Wimbushes, an aging aristocratic couple and the relatives and young intellectuals who are staying with them over the Summer in their estate at the village of Crome.
A delightful read, no other way to describe it
Huxley's talent, especially in his first novel, is to pour out ideas (the subjects and issues covered here are staggeringly diverse for such a short book) without losing the human spark or light touch that keeps you reading. Crome Yellow, the story (I use the word loosely) of fairly lazy aristocrats whiling the weeks away at a luxurious country estate, manages to be at once a dozen (or more) intelligent essays--on all different subjects and from many points of view, a romantic comedy, a character(s) study, a social satire, and a charming short story collection. Aldous Huxley was a young man and when he wrote Crome Yellow in the early twenties (not long out of college) he was more agnostic skeptic and social critic than the psychedelic mystic and dystopian prophet he would become. Yet the themes, and sometimes more, of his later work are all present here. There's a suggestion of mysticism and the "other world," albeit in a more comic manner than The Doors of Perception. Denis, with his anxieties around women and self-loathing, hand-wringing intelligence, is an early version of Bernard in Brave New World. And early in the book (at a pig pen of all places) a character hypothesizes about the future--and describes almost exactly the world Huxley would portray in Brave New World! It's fascinating to see, in this modernist society tale, the seeds of Huxley's future work. But better yet are all the ideas and separate stories Huxley crams into Crome Yellow: the historical tale of a dwarfish aristocrat and his gigantic son, a romantic escapade on the roof between a dashing visitor and the well-read yet thick Mary, the frequent and inept attempts of Denis to woo Anne, and cynical but comparatively content Mr. Scogan, who imagines stories to fill the mock books in the library, and cross-dresses as a fortune teller to scare the villagers at the annual fair. All in all, a great, quick read and a touchstone for all of Huxley's themes in a most unlikely vehicle.

not huxley's best
this novel was, in my opinion, not very good. it smacks of aristocratic pretension. i did not like nor could i find my self sympathetic with any of his hollow, flat characters. which really bothers me very, because i'm a huge huxley fan. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Country homes    3. England    4. Fiction    5. Humorous fiction    6. Intellectuals    7. Literature - Classics / Criticism    8. Literature: Classics    9. Satire    10. Fiction / Classics   

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. American Satire And Humor    3. Literature - Classics / Criticism   

Reviews (6)

A Fine Introduction
I come to this reader having read a few Wells novels: "War of the Worlds", "The Invisible Man", "The Time Machine".I didn't know much else about Wells' life or career.In reading this anthology, I found out quite a few new things, though not enough to claim that I'm an expert on the subject.Wells did live a long time, and this anthology uses a lot of space presenting things about Wells that I alreay knew.I know that Bison Books prints editions of "The Sleeper Awakes", "In The Days of the Comet", and "The Last War."The other reviewers of this book seem to miss the point that this book is meant to be an introduction.And an introduction is supposed to have a range and also be complete.A figure like Wells may be impossible to encapsulate in such a small volume, but I think for new readers, this might be the book for you.If you want to know the roots of science-fiction, where else can you look but at the master himself?

A TERRIFIC COLLECTION
I didn't know very much about Wells beyond THE TIME MACHINE and THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (which I've only encountered via the movie versions) until a friend gave me a copy of this terrific collection.It was great to have almost three complete novels by him as well as other selections in one volume.The excerpts made me want to read the whole of THE FOOD OF THE GODS, THE WHEELS OF CHANCE, and TONO-BUNGAY.There's not a poor choice in this book.Including the majority of IN THE DAYS OF THE COMET (not available elsewhere as one reader states) makes sense to me, since it seems like such an important book-bridge between his science fiction and social novels.The editor also includes most of THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, which manages to be wildly imaginative, beautifully written, incredibly hilarious, and deeply chilling, often in the same paragraph.There's so much other great stuff in this anthology, which is a bargain at $14.The editor's comments were very helpful in placing the selections within Wells' creative growth and intent, and in placing Wells within the broader context of his day.I can't understand the venom of some of the other reader responses.Do they have some personal grudge against the editor?Perhaps they were former students and he graded them poorly.You'd think Wells was their grandmother and they were defending her honor.Wells speaks for himself quite well, I think.And the truth is if Wells' later stuff is so outstanding, and its absence worthy of being bemoaned and bitched about, why is it mostly all out of print?I'm definitely going to check out later Wells, but wouldn't be doing so without this marvelous introduction to spur me on.

A TERRIFIC COLLECTION
I didn't know very much about Wells beyond THE TIMEMACHINE and WAR OF THE WORLDS (which I've only encountered via the movie versions) until a friend gave me a copy of this terrific collection.It was great to have almost three complete novels by him as well as other selections in one volume.The excerpts made me want to read the whole of THE WHEELS OF CHANCE, THE FOOD OF THE GODS, and TONO-BUNGAY.There's not a poor choice in the book.Including the majority of IN THE DAYS OF THE COMET (not available elsewhere as one reader states) makes sense to me, since it seems like such an important book-bridge between his science fiction and social novels.The editor also includes most of THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, which manages to be wildly imaginative, beautifullly written, incredibly hilarious, and deeply chilling, often in the same paragraph.There's so much other great stuff in this anthology, which is a bargain at $14.The editor's comments were also very helpful in placing the selections within Wells' creative growth and intent, and in placing Wells within the broader context of his day. I can't understand the venom of some of the other reader responses.Do they have some personal grudge against the editor?You'd think Wells was their grandmother and they were defending her honor.Wells speaks for himself quite well, I think.And the truth is if Wells later stuff is so outstanding, why is it mostly all out of print?I'm defintely going to check out later Wells, but wouldn't be doing so without this marvelous introduction to spur me on. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    2. Literary Criticism    3. Literature - Classics / Criticism    4. Satire, English    5. Science Fiction & Fantasy    6. Science fiction, English    7. Literary Criticism & Collections / Science Fiction    8. Other prose: from c 1900 -    9. Science fiction   

Subjects:  1. 18th century    2. 19th century    3. English Satire And Humor    4. English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    5. Great Britain    6. History    7. History and criticism    8. Humor    9. Literary Criticism    10. Literature - Classics / Criticism    11. Political satire, English    12. Politics and literature    13. Special Subjects In Literature    14. English    15. Literary Criticism & Collections / Eastern European    16. Literary studies: 19th century    17. Political satire, English--History and criticism    18. United Kingdom, Great Britain    19. c 1700 to c 1800    20. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (1)

Quite Dreamy and Rare
One of the better volumes in the series (along with Volume 4).
Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Graphic Satire And Humor    5. History & Criticism    6. Individual Artist    7. Literature - Classics / Criticism    8. Techniques - Cartooning    9. Comics & Graphic Novels / General    10. Graphic novels   

Reviews (22)

Cavorite: Opaque to Gravity
It is perhaps a cliché to suggest that H.G. Wells was a man with an imagination ahead of his time.Wells was writing in the late Victorian era but was still able to visualise future societies and even inventions that today have reasonable credibility.He was a science fiction writer of great clarity.Although Wells is justifiably better known for "The Time Machine" and "War of the Worlds", "The First Men in the Moon" is still a worthy work.
Meddling in L unar Matters
This HGW novel is not as satisfying as his more famous
Good dramatization and interesting politics
Since most of the reviews here concern the BOOK of First Men in the Moon, I thought I would add a comment about the Alien Voices audio production of this story. This is a very well-crafted presentation of the Wells novel, well-acted and lively, and with a good script. The voices of the Selenites (Moon inhabitants) are very eerie and alien, the sound effects are realistic, and the music enhances the story too. I should note that I have not read the novel, so I can't really compare it to this audio adaptation, but this audio dramatization is a good one at any rate. It's much more detailed than the movie from the 1960s, especially concerning the political structure of the Selenite civilization. Since some other reviewers have gone into considerable detail about the story, I won't repeat that in mine, except to note that the political discussion in it is particularly interesting, and this is also a fun adventure story so it can be enjoyed in that way as well. I highly recommend this Alien Voices production. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Fiction    3. Imperialism    4. Literature - Classics / Criticism    5. Moon    6. Satire    7. Science Fiction    8. Science Fiction - General    9. Space flight to the moon    10. Fiction / Science Fiction / General    11. Reading Group Guide   

Subjects:  1. Ancient, Classical & Medieval    2. Literature: Classics    3. Poetry    4. Ancient Rome    5. Latin    6. Literary studies: classical, early & medieval    7. Other prose: classical, early & medieval    8. Poetry & poets   

Subjects:  1. 20th Century American Novel And Short Story    2. 20th century    3. American - General    4. American Satire And Humor    5. American fiction    6. History and criticism    7. Literary Criticism    8. Literature - Classics / Criticism    9. Postmodernism (Literature)    10. Satire, American    11. United States    12. American English    13. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    14. Literary studies: from c 1900 -    15. Novels, other prose & writers: from c 1900 -    16. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000    17. Second World War, 1939-1945    18. USA   

Reviews (51)

Disappointingly little magic
Allow me to begin by stating that I have read just about every book published by Kurt Vonnegut and have enjoyed most and positively loved several. In Hocus Pocus though, he seems to have just lost much of the magic that makes much of his work so special. Most of his books have me rushing to the end, they're hard to put down. This was the first book by him that I've ever had a tough time finishing. If it were not written by Vonnegut, i may have put it down for a little while. It is by no means a bad book, but just disappointing for such a master. Though some points are strong, they are rarely well made,the cynicism is elevated to ridiculous levels, and he seems to have forgotten how to be so artfully subtle. The morals and ideas are presented to you so much as they attempt to pound you on the head. I can't really say that I recommend this book to Vonnegut diehards because they will be disappointed, and I can't in good conscience recommend it to those wanting to get into Vonnegut, because it may be the last of his books they choose to read.

Best of his later works
Hocus Pocus is still a brilliant satire. People who want another "Cat's Cradle" (which I think is his best) "Slaughterhouse 5" or Galapagos" may be a little disapointed, but this is still a very funny, sadly true look at life today, even if it was written 15 years ago. It satires war, education, the prison system, and the outsourcing of jobs, still hot-button issues today. This is just a good book, even if Vonnegut's prime was a bit earlier.

In the shadow of Musket Mountain
This is probably my favorite of all of Vonnegut's works. It's the story of an ex-military man who becomes a teacher at a school for learning-disabled rich kids. He eventually is fired from the school for telling the students what an embarrassment it is to be an American, and he is hired by the prison across the lake. The story only gets more cynical and more sentimental from there. As each character dies, and so it goes, they are buried in the shadow of Musket Mountain when the sun goes down, a nice, poetic touch on this deeply sarcastic look at the American ruling class. I loved the alternative history lesson provided in this book, it's nice to see the positive side of American socialism and the potential it once held way back at the start of the 20th century. Hocus Pocus is one of those books I go back to ever couple of years and re-read...I like it that much. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Literature: Classics    5. Prisoners    6. Satire