The Questions That Matter Most: Reading, Writing, and the Exercise of Freedom by Jane Smiley. Wow - quite a title and a lot to think about. I've read most of Jane Smiley's fiction and it's excellent. Here in her essays, her skills, thought process, and deep dive into character are quite educational and thought provoking.
cover blurb - Smiley dives beneath surface level interpretations to examine the works of de Navarre, Dickens, Trollope, Beecher Stowe, Alcott, Twain, Cather, and more. Smiley works to think harder and, in her words, with "more clarity and nuance about the questions that matter most".
I had to really think here. Great writing. Impressive contrasts and comparisons. She has inspired me to go back and read some classics that I haven't read in a zillion years. I need to approach with a new appreciation.
I got this book at the library after perusing the shelves. Her name made me grab this book and I'm glad. Got the gray matter astir. Dang!
