- 256 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
A look at the delightsāand dangersāof gossip, from a
New York Timesābestselling, "erudite writer, gifted with rare insight and a wry sense of humor" (
USA Today).
Gossip is no trivial matter. In this enlightening and entertaining study, the author of Snobbery takes a look at a human activity that may be looked down upon, but nevertheless plays a persistent role in our societyāand therefore, must be taken seriously.
Ā
Joseph Epstein, who admits to indulging in this activity himself from time to time, serves up mini-biographies of history's famous gossips, and makes a powerful case that gossip has morphed from its old-fashioned bestāclever, mocking, a great private pleasureāto a corrosive, destructive new version, thanks to the reach of the mass media and the Internet. This is an erudite and witty read from "a master observer of humanity's foibles" ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review).
Ā
"Epstein defines categories of gossip, from personal to celebrity, workplace, and political, and discusses how gossip 'enforces a community's norms' or, conversely, helps foster tolerance.Ā .Ā .Ā . 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." ā Booklist
Gossip is no trivial matter. In this enlightening and entertaining study, the author of Snobbery takes a look at a human activity that may be looked down upon, but nevertheless plays a persistent role in our societyāand therefore, must be taken seriously.
Ā
Joseph Epstein, who admits to indulging in this activity himself from time to time, serves up mini-biographies of history's famous gossips, and makes a powerful case that gossip has morphed from its old-fashioned bestāclever, mocking, a great private pleasureāto a corrosive, destructive new version, thanks to the reach of the mass media and the Internet. This is an erudite and witty read from "a master observer of humanity's foibles" ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review).
Ā
"Epstein defines categories of gossip, from personal to celebrity, workplace, and political, and discusses how gossip 'enforces a community's norms' or, conversely, helps foster tolerance.Ā .Ā .Ā . 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." ā Booklist
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Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Gossip by Joseph Epstein in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Social Psychology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Title Page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Epigraphs
- Preface
- I. PRIVATE GOSSIP
- 1. How It Works
- 2. Feasible, Uncheckable, Deeply Damning
- 3. When Is It All Right to Gossip?
- 4. In the Know
- 5. The Truth Defense
- 6. The Gossip Transaction
- 7. Need Gossip Be Trivial?
- 8. Pure Speculation
- II. PUBLIC GOSSIP
- 9. Gossip Goes Public
- 10. Gossip Goes Center Ring
- 11. Shooting at Celebrities
- 12. Antediluvian Gossip
- 13. Literary Gossip
- 14. Gay Gossip
- III. PRIVATE BECOME PUBLIC
- 15. Caught in the Net
- 16. Whores of Information
- 17. Snoopin' and Scoopin'
- 18. Too Much Even of Kreplach
- A Bibliographical Note
- Index
- Sample Chapter from SNOBBERY
- Buy the Book
- About the Author