Babbitt (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) - Softcover

Lewis, Sinclair

3.69

23,638 ratings by Goodreads

9781593082673: Babbitt (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1593082673 ISBN 13: 9781593082673

Publisher: Sterling Publishing, 2005

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&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&RBabbitt&&L/I&&R, by &&LB&&RSinclair Lewis&&L/B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R&&LI&&R &&L/I&&Rseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R: &&LDIV&&R

New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars
Biographies of the authors
Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events
Footnotes and endnotes
Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work
Comments by other famous authors
Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations
Bibliographies for further reading
Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate

All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/I&&Rpulls together a constellation of influences―biographical, historical, and literary―to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&RIn the small midwestern city of Zenith, George Babbitt seems to have it all: a successful real-estate business, a devoted wife, three children, and a house with all the modern conveniences. Yet, dissatisfied and lonely, he’s begun to question the conformity, consumerism, and competitiveness of his conservative, and ultimately cultureless middle-class community. His despairing sense that something, many things are missing from his life leads him into a flirtation with liberal politics and a fling with an attractive and seemingly “bohemian” widow. But he soon finds that his attempts at rebellion may cost more than he is willing to pay. &&LBR&&R&&LBR&&RThe title of &&LB&&RSinclair Lewis&&L/B&&R’s 1922 satire on American materialism added a new word to our vocabulary. “Babbittry” has come to stand for all that’s wrong with a world where the pursuit of happiness means the procurement of things―a world that substitutes “stuff” for “soul.” Some twenty years after &&LI&&RBabbitt&&L/I&&R’s initial success, critics called Lewis dated and his fiction old-fashioned. But these judgments have come to seem like wishful thinking. With Babbitry evident all around us, the novel is more relevant than ever.&&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R &&L/DIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LB&&RKenneth Krauss&&L/B&&R teaches drama at the College of Saint Rose, in Albany, New York. His books include &&LI&&RMaxwell Anderson and the New York Stage&&L/I&&R, &&LI&&RPrivate Readings/Public Texts&&L/I&&R, and &&LI&&RThe Drama of Fallen France&&L/I&&R.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R

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From the Inside Flap:

With an all-star cast including Stacy Keach, Helen Hunt, Edward Asner, Ted Danson and Richard Dreyfuss, this epic of the booming 1920's uniquely captures the relentless culture of American business. Babbitt is a true classic about conformity in small town America - celebrated for its comic tone, satire, and vivid dialogue. The play is based on Sinclair Lewis' novel, first published in 1922.

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Edward Asner, Rene Auberjonois, Bonnie Bedelia, Ed Begley Jr., Georgia Brown, Roscoe Lee Browne, Jack Coleman, Bud Cort, Ted Danson, William Devane, Richard Dreyfuss, Hector Elizondo, Fionnula Flanagan, Robert Foxworth, Harry Hamlin, Julie Harris, Helen Hunt, Amy Irving, Stacy Keach, John Lithgow, Nan Martin, Marsha Mason, Richard Masur, Marian Mercer, Joanna Miles, Holly Palance, Judge Reinhold, Franklyn Seales, David Selby, Ally Sheedy, Madolyn Smith, James Whitmore, JoBeth Williams and Michael York.

From the Back Cover:

George E. Babbitt, a conniving, prosperous real estate man from Zenith, Ohio, revels in his popularity, his success, and, especially, in the material rewards they bring. He bullies his wife, flirts with other women, and patronizes the less successful. But when his best friend is sent to prison for killing his wife, Babbitt's middle-class complacency is shattered, and he rebels, seeking a more "meaningful" life. His small revolt is quickly defeated, however, by public opinion and his own need for acceptance. Babbitt captures the flavor of America during the economic boom years of the 1920s, and its protagonist has become the symbol of middle-class mediocrity, his name an enduring part of the American lexicon.

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