Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents ix
3. One. Does Literature Matter? 1
4. Two. ‘‘A Professor And A Man And A Writer’’ 23
5. Three. Varieties Of Liberal Imagination 37
6. Four. Isaac Babel And The Rabbis 71
7. Five. A Syllabus Of Terrors 91
8. Six. ‘‘Howl’’ And The Visionary Gleam 111
9. Seven. The Affirming Self 129
10. Eight. The Reader As Hero 151
11. Acknowledgments 169
12. Index 171