Edward White (4)Besprekingen

A scholarly biography of Van Vechten with 40 pages of notes and a bibliography of 100+ sources. It does not creatie an impression of in-depth analysis, however; the writing is pedestrian, loaded with adjectives and descriptive verbs which nonetheless fail to bring Van Vechten to life. An air of negative judgement hangs over the author’s account and it is unclear why we should consider Van Vechten worthy of serious critical attention, which in any event he seems incapable of bringing to Van Vechten’s work, let alone relevant to “the birth of modern America.” I cannot help but contrast this book with Denis Donoghue’s masterly biography of Walter Pater which I read earlier this year.