Strangely comforting in its reassurance that the reader is not alone in being a petty SOB.
Career essayist Epstein wields a nimble pen in this consideration of the “most pervasive” mortal sin.
When invited to contribute a volume to the Oxford series on the seven deadly sins, Epstein (Fabulous Small Jews, p. 699, etc.) found that only four remained to choose from. Too thin for gluttony, too nervous for sloth, and too embarrassed to choose lust, he was left with envy. (This is the first in the series.) He makes the best of it, arguing that, in addition to being a common thread uniting all the other sins, envy is ubiquitous: “To err may be human; to envy is decidedly so.” And though experiencing envy may be “no fun at all,” under Epstein’s guidance, this sin is pretty entertaining to contemplate in all its fine permutations. It appears that there are distinctions to be drawn, for example, among jealousy, resentment, and envy. Schadenfreude gets its own chapter, as do “The Young, God Damn Them.” Epstein repeatedly notes envy’s tendency to crop up close to home, be it between colleagues, close friends, or professionals in the same field. After all, “It doesn’t really seem to make sense, does it, to envy the Queen of England?” Accordingly, it’s those cultures that promote equality as an ideal that do best in cultivating its ugly bedfellow; Epstein puts forth the Soviet Union, the US, and ancient Greece as examples of particularly envious cultures. While he almost always hits the mark, the author isn’t infallible. His comparison of male and female envy makes questionable generalizations about the personal nature of women’s feelings, versus the “zanier” nature of men’s, although it’s nonetheless almost shamefully entertaining in its gratuitous skewering of Paul Simon’s appearance.
Strangely comforting in its reassurance that the reader is not alone in being a petty SOB.Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-19-515812-1
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2003
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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