About the book
“Theory offered us a way of understanding the world that, like so many youthful exuberances, was both vital and ridiculous.”
As an avowed “theory head,” Jordan Alexander Stein confronts a contradiction: that the abstract, and often frustrating rigors of theory also produced a sense of pride and identity for him and his friends: an idea of how to be and a way to live. Although Stein explains what theory is, this is not an introduction or a how-to. Organized around five ways that theory makes us feel—silly, stupid, sexy, seething and stuck—Stein travels back to the late nineties to tell a story of coming of age at a particular moment and to measure how that moment lives on now.
Avidly Reads is a series of short books about how culture makes us feel. Founded in 2012 by Sarah Blackwood and Sarah Mesle, Avidly—an online magazine supported by the Los Angeles Review of Books—specializes in short-form critical essays devoted to thinking and feeling. Avidly Reads is an exciting new series featuring books that are part memoir, part cultural criticism, each bringing to life the author’s emotional relationship to a cultural artifact or experience. Avidly Reads invites us to explore the surprising pleasures and obstacles of everyday life. This is a story about the emotional lives of ideas.
Editions of Avidly Reads Theory
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781479801008
- AltFormat
- ISBN 9781479827398
Read an Excerpt
“Theory offered us a way of understanding the world that, like so many youthful exuberances, was both vital and ridiculous.”
As an avowed “theory head,” Jordan Alexander Stein confronts a contradiction: that the abstract, and often frustrating rigors of theory also produced a sense of pride and identity for him and his friends: an idea of how to be and a way to live. Although Stein explains what theory is, this is not an introduction or a how-to. Organized around five ways that theory makes us feel—silly, stupid, sexy, seething and stuck—Stein travels back to the late nineties to tell a story of coming of age at a particular moment and to measure how that moment lives on now.
Avidly Reads is a series of short books about how culture makes us feel. Founded in 2012 by Sarah Blackwood and Sarah Mesle, Avidly—an online magazine supported by the Los Angeles Review of Books—specializes in short-form critical essays devoted to thinking and feeling. Avidly Reads is an exciting new series featuring books that are part memoir, part cultural criticism, each bringing to life the author’s emotional relationship to a cultural artifact or experience. Avidly Reads invites us to explore the surprising pleasures and obstacles of everyday life. This is a story about the emotional lives of ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Avidly Reads Theory about?
“Theory offered us a way of understanding the world that, like so many youthful exuberances, was both vital and ridiculous.”
As an avowed “theory head,” Jordan Alexander Stein confronts a contradiction: that the abstract, and often frustrating rigors of theory also produced a sense of pride and identity for him and his friends: an idea of how to be and a way to live. Although Stein explains what theory is, this is not an introduction or a how-to. Organized around five ways that theory makes us feel—silly, stupid, sexy, seething and stuck—Stein travels back to the late nineties to tell a story of coming of age at a particular moment and to measure how that moment lives on now.
Avidly Reads is a series of short books about how culture makes us feel. Founded in 2012 by Sarah Blackwood and Sarah Mesle, Avidly—an online magazine supported by the Los Angeles Review of Books—specializes in short-form critical essays devoted to thinking and feeling. Avidly Reads is an exciting new series featuring books that are part memoir, part cultural criticism, each bringing to life the author’s emotional relationship to a cultural artifact or experience. Avidly Reads invites us to explore the surprising pleasures and obstacles of everyday life. This is a story about the emotional lives of ideas.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Avidly Reads Theory?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Literature: history and criticism > Literary theory
Where can I read a sample of Avidly Reads Theory?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781479801008
How long is Avidly Reads Theory and how many pages does it have?
Avidly Reads Theory has 152 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Avidly Reads Theory?
Jordan Alexander Stein
Who is the Publisher of the book Avidly Reads Theory?
NYU Press
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Avidly Reads Theory is available as paperback(ISBN 9781479801008) and altformat(ISBN 9781479827398)
Where can I buy Avidly Reads Theory online or support local independent bookshops?
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Where can I buy Avidly Reads Theory?