A dishy, incisive exploration of gossipfrom celebrity rumors to literary romans clef, from personal sniping to political slanderby one of our great essayists (David Brooks)
To his successful examinations of some of the most powerful forces in modern lifeenvy, ambition, snobbery, friendshipthe keen observer and critic Joseph Epstein now adds Gossip. No trivial matter, despite its reputation, gossip is eternal and necessary. Himself a master of the art, Epstein serves up delightful mini-biographies of the Great Gossips of the Western World along with many choice bits from his own experience. He also makes a powerful case that gossip has morphed from its old-fashioned bestclever, mocking, a great private pleasureto a corrosive new-school version, thanks to the reach of the mass media and the Internet. Gossip has even invaded politics and journalism, causing unsubstantiated information to be presented as fact. Contemporary gossip claims to reveal truth, but as Epstein shows, its our belief in truth itself that may be destroyed by gossip.
Written in his trademark erudite and witty style, Gossip captures the complexity of this immensely entertaining subject.
