"It is, in a sense, a prose Aeneid , written with so much economy and constraint that the reader is only aware at the end that he has been following the wanderings of a hero." Thus did Andrew Nelson Lytle, in a 1934 New Republic review, capture the essence of Car oline Gordon's novel inspired by the life of her father, a supreme hunter and fisherman. Caroline Gordon wanted to call her novel "The Life and Passion of Aleck Maury," an apt title for the story of a man passionately drawn to the rites, rituals, and ...
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"It is, in a sense, a prose Aeneid , written with so much economy and constraint that the reader is only aware at the end that he has been following the wanderings of a hero." Thus did Andrew Nelson Lytle, in a 1934 New Republic review, capture the essence of Car oline Gordon's novel inspired by the life of her father, a supreme hunter and fisherman. Caroline Gordon wanted to call her novel "The Life and Passion of Aleck Maury," an apt title for the story of a man passionately drawn to the rites, rituals, and excitement of hunting and fishing. Gordon describes these rituals with a precision that even Hemingway would admire. The result, as Lytle points out, is that she makes "hunting and angling appear so exciting that a reader who has never had a gun or rod in his hand will not lay down the book until he has reached the end." Aleck Maury earned his living as a pro fessor of classics, but found books and classes pale in comparison with blood sport. Only in the world of sport is Maury truly alive, for only there are the rules exact; in the world of sport Maury is an artist, a creator in control. He prepares until he is ready, then tries his hand at the game. The rituals of blood sport lend structure to his life. From these rituals come elation, a formal delight. For Maury, life without joy, without transfiguring excitement, is not worth living. Throughout his life he has been a questing Aeneas. Delight has given direction to his search, and in the end he understands: "I knew now what it was I had always feared: that this elation, this delight by which I lived might go from me."
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Seller's Description:
**STOCK PHOTOS AND CATALOG INFO MAY VARY FROM ACTUAL BOOK, PLEASE REFER TO SELLER PHOTOS AND ITEM DESCRIPTION FOR MOST ACCURATE INFORMATION. THE SELLER PHOTO SHOWS THE EXACT COPY YOU WILL RECEIVE** This is a used book in GOOD condition. May have minor defects such as wearing to outside cover, a name written on inside cover, or a few notations throughout. Paperback soft cover edition.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. First edition, first issue. Less than usual fading to the green cloth, else near fine lacking the dustwrapper. The author's most celebrated book, about a Southerner who is both a scholar and a sportsman, based on the life of her father.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. Size: 8x5x1; Reprint of the Scribner edition. A tightly bound, crisp copy with unmarked pages. Green and blue illustrated dust jacket is bright with no discernable flaws. DJ in a mylar cover. A very attractive copy. 300pp.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. First edition. Contemporary gift inscription, usual fading to the green cloth, very good or a little better in a good dustwrapper with some considerable chipping along the front flap fold. The author's most celebrated book, about a Southerner who is both a scholar and a sportsman, based on the life of her father.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. First edition. Cloth is faded on spine as usual, due to the green binding cloth thus very good in very good dust jacket with moderate wear at the extremities of spine and with several early, clear tape mends on verso.
