The Meaning of Life: A Very Short Introduction

by Terry Eagleton

Overview

We have all wondered about the meaning of life. But is there an answer? And do we even really know what we're asking? Terry Eagleton takes a stimulating and quirky look at this most compelling of questions: at the answers explored in philosophy and literature; at the crisis of meaning in modern times; and suggests his own solution to how we might rediscover meaning in our lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191579035
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	04/24/2008
Series:	Very Short Introductions
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Terry Eagleton is John Edward Taylor Professor of English at the University of Manchester. His recent publications include Holy Terror (2005); The English Novel: An Introduction (2004); After Theory (2003); Sweet Violence: The Idea of the Tragic (2002); The Idea of Culture (2000); The Illusions of Postmodernism (1996); and Literary Theory: An Introduction (1996).

Table of Contents

Preface1. Questions and Answers2. The Problem of Meaning3. The Eclipse of Meaning4. Is Life What You Make It? Further reading

Editorial Reviews

"This is a brief, ambitious, and satisfying book. As a survivor of the theory wars, Terry Eagleton has emerged as a critic and thinker who will help us theologues ponder not only life's meaning but the next steps we should take as even postmodernism fades into cultural history. If there is a cultural life for us all in the aftermath of the conflict between essentialism and relativism, Eagleton's provocative essay will point the way both to making and discovering its meaning."—Gary R. Hall, Anglican Theological Review

"Eagleton's witty eclecticism is perfect for such a lofty subject, but would it be inappropriate to ask for more?—Leoppold Froelich, Playboy

"The Meaning of Life may be 'lie' relative to how much more a scholar like Mr. Eagleton might have said, but it is still a work that demands close attention from readers who are already well grounded in literature and philosophy."—Mark Grannis, The Washington Times

"The news that Terry Eagleton has tackled the meaning of life in a book of a mere 185 pages shouldn't raise any eyebrows. If anyone can pull it off, it's probably him. Eagleton, unsurprisingly, has written an elegant, literate, cogent consideration of a maddeningly slippery topic, one whose conclusions run contrary to conventional wisdom, especially in this country."—Laura Miller, Salon.com

"Eagleton's is unlike most works on life's meaning, in which writers often invoke theology. Eagleton's notion of love may seem to lead back to theism, but he shows us we can have meaningful lives whatever our theology, and he invites us all to choose. He deserves a place in most collections."—Leslie Armour, Library Journal

"Regardless of whether you agree with him, you'll find yourself challenged by this little book."—Houston Chronicle"

From the Publisher