Review by Choice Review
Deming (director of creative writing at Yale) explores how the ordinary is presented in philosophy, film, comedy, literature, and art. He analyzes how various figures in these fields, including Stanley Cavell, Arthur Danto, Richard Wollheim, Steven Wright, John Ashbery, and Andy Warhol, confront the everyday in their works in the face of the everyday's elusiveness. Each of the four chapters is devoted to investigating the ordinary within a specific practice or the work of a specific figure. Chapter 1 is dedicated to philosophy and delves into film, chapter 2 focuses on Wright's stand-up comedy, chapter 3 on Asbery's poetry, and chapter 4 on art and films by Warhol. As Deming examines how various practitioners contend with the everyday, he demonstrates that it is a subject worthy of philosophical interrogation and argues that by becoming attuned to the ordinary, perhaps through the works he discusses, people can maintain ongoing adaptable understandings of their selves and others. In addition to in-depth analyses and connections throughout the book, Deming provides extensive notes. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty. --Carly Psenicka, Youngstown State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
