Geographical History of America (PAJ Books) - Softcover

Stein, Ms. Gertrude

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801851335 ISBN 13: 9780801851339

Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995

Synopsis

First published in 1936 and long out of print, The Geographical History of America brings together prose pieces, dialogues, philosophical meditations, and playlets by one of the century's most influential experimental writers. This short but brilliant book offers a dimension of Gertrude Stein's thinking not available elsewhere. Here Stein sets forth her view of the human mind: what it is, how it works, and how it is different from - and more interesting than - human nature.
Geographical History also elaborates on Stein's concepts of identity, landscape, presence, and composition. Today, as literary discourse pays more attention to textuality, to voice, reader-response, and phenomenology, Stein emerges as a pioneering modernist to whom the century is slowly catching up. For those in the performing arts, Geographical History further addresses the notion of play as landscape, one of Stein's most influential theatrical ideas, as well as such issues as dialogue, character, and dramatic structure - in a book that is itself a model of modern experimentation.

About this title

Review:

"The Geographical History of America is a culminating work... the stylized presentation of the process of meditation itself, with many critical asides. It demonstrates far more than it proves, and although it is in no sense a volume of philosophy (Gertrude Stein never 'argues' anything), it is, philosophically, the most important of her texts." -- William H. Gass

Synopsis:

First published in 1936, this work brings together prose pieces, dialogues, philosophical meditations and playlets by one of the century's most influential and experimental writers. Stein presents her view of the human mind: what it is, how it works and how it is different from human nature.

About this edition

• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0801851335
• ISBN 13: 9780801851339
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240