The RecognitionsNew York Review of Books, 2020 M11 24 - 968 pages A postmodern masterpiece about fraud and forgery by one of the most distinctive, accomplished novelists of the last century. The Recognitions is a sweeping depiction of a world in which everything that anyone recognizes as beautiful or true or good emerges as anything but: our world. The book is a masquerade, moving from New England to New York to Madrid, from the art world to the underworld, but it centers on the story of Wyatt Gwyon, the son of a New England minister, who forsakes religion to devote himself to painting, only to despair of his inspiration. In expiation, he will paint nothing but flawless copies of his revered old masters—copies, however, that find their way into the hands of a sinister financial wizard by the name of Recktall Brown, who of course sells them as the real thing. Dismissed uncomprehendingly by reviewers on publication in 1955 and ignored by the literary world for decades after, The Recognitions is now established as one of the great American novels, immensely ambitious and entirely unique, a book of wild, Boschian inspiration and outrageous comedy that is also profoundly serious and sad. |
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Page 26
... seemed to know their euphemistic derivation well enough . ) --And then , the last straw , I ... I can scarcely repeat his words . Though Heaven knows how they are engraved on my memory . He knew I was in the room , he was sitting on the ...
... seemed to know their euphemistic derivation well enough . ) --And then , the last straw , I ... I can scarcely repeat his words . Though Heaven knows how they are engraved on my memory . He knew I was in the room , he was sitting on the ...
Page 35
... seemed to know the full history of the Papal court at Avignon , the only time she was ever known to use the word brothel ) . She rehearsed him in the exquisite careers from the Book of Martyrs , read aloud to him from Doctor Young's The ...
... seemed to know the full history of the Papal court at Avignon , the only time she was ever known to use the word brothel ) . She rehearsed him in the exquisite careers from the Book of Martyrs , read aloud to him from Doctor Young's The ...
Page 37
... seemed to halt her , and she turned on the small retreating figure with , To your room , go to your room then , and read ... read what we've been reading , and I'll be up before supper to see if you know it . -What have you been reading ...
... seemed to halt her , and she turned on the small retreating figure with , To your room , go to your room then , and read ... read what we've been reading , and I'll be up before supper to see if you know it . -What have you been reading ...
Page 40
... seemed to rush out to meet the hellish tinkling , and it was only on waking that her dreams began . But of all the distress that Janet endured , most persistent was her body's revenge on her attempt to disdain it . At first , hardly ...
... seemed to rush out to meet the hellish tinkling , and it was only on waking that her dreams began . But of all the distress that Janet endured , most persistent was her body's revenge on her attempt to disdain it . At first , hardly ...
Page 42
... seemed to pass over her , when she would stop it in its tracks to rescue something which struck her . Few things seemed to stir her pleasantly but news of unhappy occurrences in Italy : whether storms or strikes or railway accidents ...
... seemed to pass over her , when she would stop it in its tracks to rescue something which struck her . Few things seemed to stir her pleasantly but news of unhappy occurrences in Italy : whether storms or strikes or railway accidents ...
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Common terms and phrases
Anselm answered appeared asked Basil Valentine beside better broke brought Brown called Christ cigarette closed coming course damn dark don't door empty Esther everything eyes face father figure floor girl give glass gone Gwyon hand happened head hear heard held holding it's knew leave light lips listen living looked matter mean minute moved never night once Otto painting passed paused picked picture pulled raised reached remember repeated returned rose round Saint seemed seen shoulder side silent sitting smile someone sound standing Stanley staring started step stood stopped street suddenly talk tell that's there's thing thought told took trying turned Valentine voice waiting walked wall watched window woman