INVITATION TO LEARNING

The radio discussions of twenty seven classics by three liberal, elastic critics, in book form. The emphasis is sharply on the ""greats"" of the past who have contributed most in influencing thought; the nearest modern chosen is Proust. The authors believe that the ""dialogue is essentially a form in which to discuss ideas"" and here, in each study, analyze, discursively and freely, the central ideas of each work. I found that the talks predicate a certain familiarity with the works; I also felt that in many instances they were more to be heard than read; points are often not fully developed the discussions are often derailed by the personalities of the speakers. But many like this informal way of presenting material often intellectually inaccessible -- and will find that it is a very helpful supplement to How To Read A Book.