On 12/8/06, Michael Pugliese <<a href="mailto:michael.098762001@gmail.com">michael.098762001@gmail.com</a>> wrote:   An excellent book on the varying reception of Orwell (particularly strong on Raymond Williams), "George Orwell: The Politics of Literary Interpretation, " by John Rodden. [JM]  The book is called "the Politics of Literary Reputation" and it is a phrase I have been using through-out these threads, because it is pertinent.  The subtitle is "the Making and Claiming of 'St. George' Orwell".  The book was in my hand as I was writing the previous post.  I would recommend it to anyone... And as a curious and strange confluence I would also recommend a few other other books, "Brecht and Company"  by Fuegi, "Stolen Words" by Thomas Mallon, "The Frenzy of Renown: Fame and Its History" by Leo Braudy, and "Intimate Strangers: The Culture of Celebrity in America" by Richard Schickle... Read all of these together and then get back to me with an essay on the Star System and Literary Reputation, pronto.  Also make sure to include how the star system in certain intellectual institutions and vast centralized intellectual cultures such a France, influences prose style.  Assignment do next time anyone lets me teach a class on these subjects. Jerry <div> </div>