Oscar Wilde

John Kenny

Picture of Dorian Gray

John Banville is an accessible yet detailed study that brings to the surface many of the hidden depths of one of the major writers of contemporary Irish and world fiction. It mediates between two existing kinds of critical work on Banville: novel-by-novel introductions, and specialised academic analyses. While it approaches some of Banville's works individually, its discussions are arranged thematically, thus demonstrating the overall patterns in his oeuvre and in his literary thinking. With a close eye on chronology, the book begins by establishing the intellectual and cultural contexts of the oeuvre and its reception, then provides readings of Banville's Irish themes, his crucial theories of the Imagination, his thematic preoccupation with morality and immorality, his idiosyncratic devotion to a self-reflexive art. Work of all Banville's periods is covered, from his first book, Long Lankin (1970) to his Man-Booker winning novel, The Sea (2005), and his recent popular fiction written under a pseudonym. Rather than incorporating the frameworks of the existing Banville criticism, one of this book's major benefits is that it allows the author to speak for himself at all stages by referring to all his principal statements on his art and worldview. The discussions here are all attentive to those who may be in the early stages of familiarity with Banville, so that the general application of ideas and arguments can be understood without firsthand or detailed knowledge of the works under discussion. Those who are well acquainted with the Banville oeuvre will also find new aspects of emphasis and suggestion. A number of important items from Banville's career as a literary essayist and reviewer are used in the chapters, and the book is thus a good starting point for readers wishing to further develop their interest.

John Banville

We create our thoughts, we trigger our emotions, and this determines the ways in which we act and behave. How we react or respond leads to our outcomes, both positive and negative. We all see things in our own way and act accordingly based on our perceptions and the meaning we give to events that have happened and will happen in our lives. Most of us remain in the world of our subconscious, making choices and fulfilling needs based on the things that we learnt many years ago. The most important relationship that we ever have is the one we have with ourselves as it drives the direction of our lives. This book has been written to help you to understand what that relationship is. Do you know where your thoughts come from? Why you feel like you do sometimes? Why you have a compulsion to act in certain ways when you know you may want to act differently? What has been holding you back for all of these years from having the relationships that you want, from achieving in life when you know that you can? The P.E.O.P.L.E. Programme will not only help you to understand all of these things but will give you the tools to ensure you can overcome your blocks to success. Come on a journey with me: see how I managed to change my life.

John Kenny

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