Gossip

Availability:
Ebook in EPUB format. Available for immediate download after we receive your order

DRM:
Watermark

Publication Year:
2011

ISBN-13: 9780547577210

<DIV><B>A look at the delights&mdash;and dangers&mdash;of gossip, from a <I>New York Times</I>&ndash;bestselling, &ldquo;erudite writer, gifted with rare insight and a wry sense of humor&rdquo; (<I>USA Today</I>).</B><BR /><BR /> Gossip is no trivial matter. In this enlightening and entertaining study, the author of <I>Snobbery</I> takes a look at a human activity that may be looked down upon, but nevertheless plays a persistent role in our society&mdash;and therefore, must be taken seriously.<BR /> &#160;<BR /> Joseph Epstein, who admits to indulging in this activity himself from time to time, serves up mini-biographies of history&rsquo;s famous gossips, and makes a powerful case that gossip has morphed from its old-fashioned best&mdash;clever, mocking, a great private pleasure&mdash;to a corrosive, destructive new version, thanks to the reach of the mass media and the Internet. This is an erudite and witty read from &ldquo;a master observer of humanity&rsquo;s foibles&rdquo; (<I>Kirkus Reviews</I>, starred review).<BR /> &#160;<BR /> &ldquo;Epstein defines categories of gossip, from personal to celebrity, workplace, and political, and discusses how gossip &lsquo;enforces a community&rsquo;s norms&rsquo; or, conversely, helps foster tolerance.&#160;.&#160;.&#160;. In his briskly erudite, zestfully original, and provokingly enjoyable anatomy of gossip, Epstein revels in the risky collusion of gossip within shared worlds and resoundingly condemns media-disseminated gossip that diminishes our ability to ascertain or value the truth.&rdquo; &mdash;<I>Booklist</I></DIV>