On Moral Fiction
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Narrated by:
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Bob Souer
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By:
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John Gardner
About this listen
"Fearless, illuminating" criticism from a New York Times bestselling author and legendary teacher, "proving... that true art is moral and not trivial" (Los Angeles Times).
Novelist John Gardner's thesis in On Moral Fiction is simple: "True art is by its nature moral." It is also an audacious statement, as Gardner asserts an inherent value in life and in art. Since the book's first publication, the passion behind Gardner's assertion has both provoked and inspired fans. In examining the work of his peers, Gardner analyzes what has gone wrong, in his view, in modern art and literature, and how shortcomings in artistic criticism have contributed to the problem. He develops his argument by showing how artists and critics can reintroduce morality and substance to their work to improve society and cultivate our morality.
On Moral Fiction is a must-listen book in which Gardner presents his thoughtfully developed criteria for the elements he believes are essential to art and its creation.
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By: Adam Gopnik
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The Year of Our Lord 1943
- Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis
- By: Alan Jacobs
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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By early 1943, it had become increasingly clear the Allies would win the Second World War. Christian intellectuals on both sides of the Atlantic thought the soon-to-be-victorious nations were not culturally or morally prepared for their success. These Christian intellectuals - Jacques Maritain, T. S. Eliot, C. S. Lewis, W. H. Auden, and Simone Weil, among others - sought both to articulate a sober and reflective critique of their own culture and to outline a plan for the moral and spiritual regeneration of their countries in the post-war world.
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The Audible is a Train Wreck
- By John on 09-04-18
By: Alan Jacobs
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The Dream of Reason, New Edition
- A History of Western Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance
- By: Anthony Gottlieb
- Narrated by: Anthony Gottlieb
- Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Already a classic, this landmark study of early Western thought now appears in a new edition with expanded coverage of the Middle Ages. Author Anthony Gottlieb looks afresh at the writings of the great thinkers, questions much of conventional wisdom, and explains his findings with unbridled brilliance and clarity. From the pre-Socratic philosophers through the celebrated days of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, up to Renaissance visionaries like Erasmus and Bacon, philosophy emerges here as a phenomenon unconfined by any one discipline.
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Bias spoils the work.
- By MC on 08-21-20
By: Anthony Gottlieb
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The Givenness of Things
- Essays
- By: Marilynne Robinson
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The spirit of our times can appear to be one of joyless urgency. As a culture we have become less interested in the exploration of the glorious mind, and more interested in creating and mastering technologies that will yield material well-being. But while cultural pessimism is always fashionable, there is still much to give us hope.
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Mostly thoughts on religious things
- By Adam Shields on 01-26-16
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All Things Shining
- Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular World
- By: Hubert Dreyfus, Sean Dorrance Kelly
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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The religious turn to their faith to find meaning. But what about the many people who lead secular lives and are also hungry for meaning? What guides, what approaches are available to them? Distinguished philosophers Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly explain that a secular life charged with meaning is indeed within reach.
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Excellent Book that refreshes the classics
- By Tod on 06-14-11
By: Hubert Dreyfus, and others
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The Denial of Death
- By: Ernest Becker
- Narrated by: Raymond Todd
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1974 and the culmination of a life's work, The Denial of Death is Ernest Becker's brilliant and impassioned answer to the "why" of human existence. In bold contrast to the predominant Freudian school of thought, Becker tackles the problem of the vital lie: man's refusal to acknowledge his own mortality. In doing so, he sheds new light on the nature of humanity and issues a call to life and its living that still resonates more than 30 years after its writing.
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Not for the closed-minded
- By Yhatze on 05-27-17
By: Ernest Becker
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If I Had Lunch with C. S. Lewis
- Exploring the Ideas of C. S. Lewis on the Meaning of Life
- By: Alister McGrath
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Have you ever wondered…whether God exists? whether life has meaning? Whether pain and suffering have a purpose? This audiobook is my invitation to sit down with C. S. Lewis and me to think about some of the persistent questions and dilemmas every person faces in life. We’ll explore Lewis’s thoughts on everything from friendships to heaven, from the reasons for faith to the power of stories.
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A great overview
- By Kevin on 12-31-14
By: Alister McGrath
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Deep Thought
- 42 Fantastic Quotes That Define Philosphy
- By: Gary Cox
- Narrated by: Richard Mitchley
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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As Douglas Adams points out, if there is no final answer to the question "what is the meaning of life?" 42 is as good or bad an answer as any other. Indeed, 42 quotes might be even better! Gary Cox guides us through 42 of the most misunderstood, misquoted, provocative, and significant quotes in the history of philosophy, providing witty and compelling commentary along the way.
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Best philosophy intro ever
- By Fabian on 04-14-18
By: Gary Cox
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The Life of the Mind
- By: Hannah Arendt
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 20 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Considered by many to be Hannah Arendt's greatest work, published as she neared the end of her life, The Life of the Mind investigates thought itself, as it exists in contemplative life. In a shift from her previous writings, most of which focus on the world outside the mind, this work was planned as three volumes that would explore the activities of the mind considered by Arendt to be fundamental. What emerged is a rich, challenging analysis of human mental activity, considered in terms of thinking, willing, and judging.
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English only please
- By angela cozea on 11-20-19
By: Hannah Arendt
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What listeners say about On Moral Fiction
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Chris W.
- 05-24-23
Pompous and irritating, with a few insights
Not sure I can say it was worth it, mostly to say I have read was is often considered “essential” for those interested in writing or critiquing fiction, Okay, I made it to the end.
I wanted to like this book, because I agree with its general premise of the role literature plays in moral discourse. I guess I was expecting a more systematic treatise on the topic, given the title. Instead, it comes off as a series of reports on the authors favorite books that he considers to be doing moral work and those he doesn’t. Personally, discounting Vonnegut out of hand offends me, but ignoring what Vonneguts work does for 20th century literature (in giving voice to a sense of terse surreality to post-WW2 experience) is a big miss.
I wish someone would write an updated and more thorough take “On Moral Fiction”. It’s a pretty short book, performed fine, so see what you think. But be ready.
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- L. M. Atnip
- 02-25-23
Irritating and pretentious with a few good insights
Let me start by saying I really liked Gardners novel Grendel and part of my reaction against this book is that it totally lacks the humor and charm of that work. It is a litany of complaints against contemporary literature some of which might be justified but it’s tedious and the impression one gets is of Gardner implicitly carping that his own fiction was not adequately appreciated. The reading doesn’t help; it’s fine but pretty uptight-sounding. (But one might blame the text for inviting this.)
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- Jim T
- 10-18-19
Right in the Chops!
John Gardner does not mince words when he gives examples of bad writers, bad writing and bad critical reviews and critics. The audio book give a great 'in depth' analysis of Art, Beauty, Truth and Goodness. No wonder it caused such an uproar when it came out almost 40 years ago. You can call it smug, elite, snobbish - yet as far as I am concerned, it's honesty is refreshing.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Mary I
- 02-26-19
An Important Artistic Genius on a Fabulous Rant
I admit, I consider John Gardner probably the best fiction writer of the last century. And, in this book, he explains to me why I feel that way.
Gardner was a writer whose work was always affirming (even when bad things happened) and true, in a metaphysical sort of way. (It is also magnificent.) In this book, he explains his values--But he explains them in a sort of manic rant, in which he can display some of the best of his intellect, his remarkable talent with words, and his huge heart. It is somewhat like hearing six hours of Shakespeare's best soliloquies. (I can only return to Shakespeare after a binge with John Gardner.)
Also, here Gardner explains to me why I never enjoyed some of the extremely well-respected big name "serious" writers of the last century.
Thank you, Audible, for producing this book.
PS--This is one of the only times I have THOUGHT about running an audiobook on a slower speed. Keeping up with John Gardner's lightning fast and extremely erudite mind, plus his incredibly sensual images, is not always easy to do. However, my ipod is working well on the "regular" setting, and I don't want to rock the boat!
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3 people found this helpful
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- Alex
- 01-25-23
Refuses to get to the point
I am very glad that this was free as it is certainly not worth paying for.
The book refuses to actually get to it's point and instead the author endlessly throw words and phrases at you that do nothing to make an argument or justify someone spending time on reading it.
The actual title should have been "Allow me to listen to myself talk and practice quipy sentences and complicated words."
This is nothing more than a ranting train of thought. There is no actual intent to convey something of substance to the reader.
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