This groundbreaking study looks at the evolution of the war novel, tracing the movement from the modernist novel that followed World War I to the postmodernist novel that followed World War II. The book uses close readings of iconic literary texts such as Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse-Five to discover the origins of the postmodern zeitgeist. It [...]
Among the five basic tastes, sweet, sour, savory, salty, and bitter, we are most sensitive to bitterness, probably because bitter foods are often poisonous, so we evolved with tongues sensitive to danger. And yet, sometimes we seek out the bitter, in coffee, bitter chocolate, and beer. Jews are required to eat bitter herbs at Passover [...]
