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David Denby Book Review

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Plot Summary of Great Books
"The author, a longtime film critic, registered for the "Great Books" course at Columbia as a successful middle-aged journalist, to see what effect the culture wars had had on the academy, and to read a lot of famous classic works he had never encountered: Dante, Cervantes, Homer, Sappho, Hume, Montaigne, and so on. But he doesn't just summarize or even necessarily argue with mere texts; he tries to see what they might have to say to people today. The chapter on "King Lear," for example, goes into some depth about the death of Denby's father and its emotional repercussions. An inspiring read and spirited defense of "Western civilization." "
David Loftus, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Great Books
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1980's-1999
Political/social activism Yes
Plotlet: - general liberal/left wing activism - women fighting for rights - minorities fighting for rights - religious issues
Family, loving relations Yes
Special relationship with - father
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - journalist
Age: - 40's-50's
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast
City? Yes
City: - New York

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Amount of dialog - little dialog
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