Seven Types of Ambiguity

Book Description

After years of unrequited love, a lonely man commits a desperate act that affects the lives of everyone it touches, triggering a chain of events no one could have anticipated.

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"Elliot Perlman has established himself as one of Australia's most perceptive and accomplished novelists with his critically-acclaimed bestselling novels Three Dollars and Seven Types of Ambiguity (which was shortlisted for Australia's top literary prize, the Miles Franklin Award, alongside J.M. Coetzee, Peter Carey and Shirley Hazzard), and his short story collection, The Reasons I Won't Be Coming. Following years of unrequited love, an out-of-work schoolteacher decides to take matters into his own hands, triggering a chain of events that neither he nor his psychiatrist could have anticipated. At once a psychological thriller and a social critique, SEVEN TYPES OF AMBIGUITY is a story of obsessive love in an age of obsessive materialism. It's a story of impulse and paralysis, of empty marriages, lovers and a small boy, gambling and the market, of adult children and their parents, of poetry and prostitution, psychiatry and the law. Brimming with emotional, intellectual and moral dilemmas, this page-turning novel-reminiscent of the richest fiction of the nineteenth century in its labyrinthine complexity-unfolds at a rapid-fire pace to reveal the full extent to which these people have been affected by each other and by the insecure and uncertain times in which they live. Our times, now."

Customer Reviews:

Convergence of characters.......2007-08-21

Eliot Perlman was such a pleasant surprise to discover as an author, even if I randomly found his novel accidently at Costco browsing. At first you are hooked and then must patiently wait as he so cleverly lays out carefully the well described characters weaving them into one commonality. It is such a treat to find a book after reading so many predictable novels that rewards the reader. It at time seems like an endless read but you savor it. How true to the human condition his descriptions of how each individual perceives reality ranging from the prostitute girlfriend conflict to shared infidelity, including a barren marriage, high risk takers, and the convergence of the characters in the end. A very fruitful process with rewards and deep thinking provoked along the way.

Totally engrossing!.......2007-08-15

There aren't many books out there that make you want to set everything else aside, and read, read, read! This is one of those books! It's long -- over 600 pages -- but it definitely doesn't feel like it. I loved the shifting perspective and interesting characters. I also liked how the stories overlapped at critical moments. Perlman is clearly a very gifted and intelligent writer, and I can't give him enough praise. Who would have thought the story of an out-of-work teacher, a stockbroker, a prostitute, and a psychiatrist would be so interesting! This is definitely one that will make you think about "obsessive love" and "obsessive materialism" in ways that you may not have before. I loved the "ambiguity" found in these interpersonal relationships as well as the characters' own motivations and understanding of the world. This is not a black-and-white world, so why should literature be? Subtlety is the name of the game. So good!!!

Oh, good, I'm not alone........2007-05-25

I'm relieved to see some dissent amid the five-star reviews here. I wanted very much to like this book. My brother gave it to me, the first few pages intrigued me, and I was ready for a solid, satisfying, very long read.

No such luck. Talk about the Dreaded Expository Lump, which writers are taught and taught and taught to avoid. It isn't that there's no place in fiction for telling rather than showing, but this novel is almost exclusively expository--it is one long DEL. Even the dialogue reads like a series of university lectures, whether the subject is managed health care, literary deconstructionism, jazz, or other topics the author is eager to expound upon.

I also agree with those who have noted the desperate need of strenuous editing, the droning similarity of voice and style throughout, and the lack of color in the setting or the physical descriptions of the characters. Even when these people are behaving colorfully, they come across in shades of gray, taupe, ecru.

All in all, I was massively disappointed and only finished this so I could tell my brother I had done so.

The two stars above are for this novel's ambition and its occasional flashes of real insight. I wish I could have joined the five-star folks.

Blew me away.......2007-05-06

Like other reviewers I was daunted by starting this very thick volume. But it was worth every minute -- the best novel I've read in a long, long time.

Extraordinary.......2007-03-03

Like another reviewer, I too had owned Seven Types of Ambiguity for over a year, not knowing anything about it beside some faint positive rumblings that my cultural antannae (they are removable) picked up. What I found when I finally decided to open the covers was an amazement.

The story whisks the reader along like a fast ride at a carnival. There is a hint of a crime drama about it, especially during the extremely convincing trial scenes. But the author was able to dissect the lives of his characters with a surgical scalpel right down to the bone. And in doing so, the society in which they lived was also laid open with Austen-esque brilliance. The end result was a chilling, depressing, scathing, riveting view of their world. By the way, their world, Melbourne could easily have been any number of other exurban locations. There was very little reference to place.

For me, the separate passages were distinct and each character had their own voice. The novel itself had a somber tone and I felt as though it were being spoken softly from behind a curtain. Also, I do not agree with the "Roshomon" analogies, for there, each retelling of the story was dramatically different from the previous version, to the extent of disagreeing on essential facts, colors, numbers. Here, I found that the characters were in agreement about what had happened. Instead, it was stated through the lens of their personal choices and priorities. The impact of the key events and the psychological reverberations were different for each character.

Also, I found the character of Joe to be one of the most starkly drawn and powerful characters I have experienced in a long time. There were a few scenes from the collapse of his and Anna's marriage that I found myself flinching as I was reading. I could not stop reading, and yet, I felt as though I had put my ear against a wall and was listening to my neighbors fighting. Joe was elaborately nasty with very few redeeming qualities and extremely well drawn.

This was easily one of the best novels I have read in the past 12 months or longer. The first section of the novel alone is worthy of inclusion among the "great works" of fiction. I highly recommend it. Don't be bothered by the number of pages. You will want it to be longer.

Average customer rating:

Poetry in Action
One of my favorite books
A dated, self-indulgent writing style obscures the ideas
7 Types of Ambiguity
How to Read & Think Subtly

Seven Types of Ambiguity
William Empson
Manufacturer: New Directions Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criticism | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 081120037X

Customer Reviews:

Poetry in Action.......2007-03-22

This book is for people who love words. Not just love them, but have a serious lust for them, who have such a powerful desire to absorb as much as possible that you can't even fully articulate why. What this novel does is help us remember why we love poetry, and the enormous power it can have. That's not to say it can make you like poetry if you don't already have a healthy understanding of it; indeed, in order to read this book I need complete silence and total concentration. This is not a book to read before you go to bed, or while you're at the gym. This is a book to read on your day off, when you can shut off all outside distraction. That seems like a lot to ask, but the rewards are great. After reading this, take another look at your all time favorite works of literary art. Take a look at "Macbeth," or, "The Sun Also Rises," or even, "Fight Club." This book will help you get more depth of meaning than you ever suspected out of these words.

One of my favorite books.......2006-10-04

Under the false guise of literary criticism, William Empson has produced a true comic masterpiece, a book of enormous intellectual energy and verbal wit, which is closer in spirit and "atmosphere" to the impratical, rambling novels of Sterne than to the grave Practical Criticism of I.A. Richards.
At the same time, Empson puts forward his thesis about "ambiguity" in poetry, which actually is not that ambigious and non-sensical, if you could just stop laughing for a second (which you couldn't possibly).

A dated, self-indulgent writing style obscures the ideas.......2006-05-26

After reading about this classic in an interview with Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen, I bought this book. I confess that I attempted to read it two or three times in the years that followed, but only succeeded in penetrating its first 30 pages before setting it aside. I finally buckled down and read the whole thing this month (and I took notes). I found the experience generally frustrating, though the book does contain a fair amount of interesting information.

The problem for me is that Empson's writing is seasoned with dated witticisms like "...the honest majority who were prepared to fight in the streets [against the invading hordes of psychoanalysts] either learned fire-watching technique or drilled with the Home Guard." That's on page viii. Unfortunately, those sorts of glib apostrophes continue throughout the book, appearing on almost every page, interrupting and derailing the thread of deeper content I was looking for.

If one is prepared to take a casual stroll through Empson's impulsively mapped neighborhood of "ambiguity," and isn't overly concerned with clear exposition regarding the distinctions between the "types" (actually it seems more like a spectrum of ambiguity that he describes, ranging from the simplest to most complex), then I can recommend this book. It's best taken casually, since it is written that way.

It is "written well," as an earlier reviewer observed, but for those of you who are looking to get a clear grasp of the varieties and interrelationships between different ambiguities, the "beautiful" writing will only get in the way. To me, this is a classic case of a self-indulgent style compromising a really good idea.

7 Types of Ambiguity.......2006-02-18

This is one of the great milestones of twentieth century literary criticism. Published originally in 1930, its relevance has not faded. It is heartily recommended to anyone with an interest in poetry, and is absolutlely essential for anyone working for a college or graduate English degree. It could also be profitably used by younger persons in high school honors English programs.

How to Read & Think Subtly.......2001-02-09

The prose of the author is delightful: it was originally published in 1930 when better authors had a genteel but sophisticated style. The author's original intention was to set forth a theory of metaphor by distinguishing and analyzing, as the title says, seven forms of (linguistic) ambiguity. He draws the examples on which he exercizes his probative skill mostly from great writers in the English language. But for those schooled after, say, the 1950s it is a wonderful exhortation to read, speak and write with more subtelty than is usually encountered. A corollary of the case he makes is that ambiguity--carefully crafted ambiguity, not ambiguity of the slothful kind--can be very powerful, but it presupposes a precision in reading and writing which is a precondition for well-crafted metaphor. As such it stands for OUR generations as an exhortation to lingusitic sophistication and an implicit disproof that "liberty" goes hand in hand with slovenliness. It certainly does make better readers out of those who go through his book.

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Seven types of ambiguity
William Empson
Manufacturer: Chatto and Windus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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7 Types of Ambiguity (AKA Seven ...)
William Empson
Manufacturer: Meridian/Noonday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UEYHVO

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Seven Types of Ambiguity
William Empson
Manufacturer: Chatto and Windus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006ARQ5G

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Seven Types of Ambiguity
Elliot Perlman
Manufacturer: Pan Macmillan Australia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0330364944

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Seven Types of Ambiguity
Eliot Perlman
Manufacturer: Pan McMillan Pty Ltd. Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IWVL7Q

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Seven types of ambiguity
William Empson
Manufacturer: Chatto and Windus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Seven types of ambiguity (Meridian books)

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Seven types of ambiguity (Meridian books)
William Empson
Manufacturer: Meridian Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Seven types of ambiguity (Peregrine books)

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Seven types of ambiguity (Peregrine books)
William Empson
Manufacturer: Penguin Books in association with Chatto and Windus
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Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006FAF22

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What Lies Burried : A Novel of Old cape fear

An enthusiastically recommended novel that is as entertaining as it is engaging from beginning to end
What Lies Buried: A Novel of Old Cape Fear
Dewey Lambdin
Manufacturer: McBooks Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Book Description

Respected political leader Harry Tresmayne has been found murdered beside a lonely road on Cape Fear. Harry's friend, Matthew Livesey, is drawn to investigate the truth, and the more Livesey learns about Harry's private life, the more reasons for murder he finds.

Customer Reviews:

What Lies Burried : A Novel of Old cape fear.......2006-03-23

This book was well written, as all his books are. The history of this pre revolutionary period was interesting.
However I did not enjoy this book as much as I do his sea storys.

An enthusiastically recommended novel that is as entertaining as it is engaging from beginning to end.......2006-02-08

Nothing is as it seems in pre-Revolutionary Wilmington, North Carolina. Respected political leader Harry Tresmayne has been found murdered beside a lonely road in Cape Fear, and the more his friend Matthew Livesey uncovers about Harry's private life, the more he finds motives for murder. The suspect list ranges from the elite to the lowest-born of the region. Matthew Livesey and his family find themselves facing dangerous consequences as a cold-blooded killer is run to ground. Dewey Lambdin is an expert author of historical novels, and once again has employed his considerable talents in creating strange characters, accurate period dialogue, and historical accuracy to infuse this deftly written murder mystery with local color. The result is an enthusiastically recommended novel that is as entertaining as it is engaging from beginning to end.

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In the final blood-soaked volume of Warriors of Tao, the gladiators go for the jugular in an attempt to quench their insatiable appetite for destruction--and survival. Toma, Locutus and Axel corner Karma, who has abducted Itsuki and begins to drain her will to live. In the heat of battle, the group's anger and rage only serve to strengthen Karma! With no hope in sight, Toma has no choice but to make the ultimate sacrifice...

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Great book for GERD sufferers

Informative; not bogged down with technical language

Gastrointestinal Health by Peikin MD

This book was a lifesaver

Walking Is The Key

Gastrointestinal Health: The Proven Nutritional Program to Prevent, Cure, or Alleviate Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Ulcers, Gas, Constipation, Heartburn, and Many Other Digestive Disorders, Third Edition
Steven R. Peikin
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0060585323
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Book Description

Do you suffer from heartburn? Is an ulcer bothering you? Are the difficult symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome compromising your life? If so, you are not alone. You are that one out of every three Americans that suffers from chronic digestive problems.

Whether it's constipation, diarrhea, gas, hemorrhoids, ulcers, heartburn, colitis, gallstones, or one of the many other digestive tract problems, Dr. Steven Peikin's self-help nutritional program will help keep you out of the doctor's office—and feeling great.

Based on the latest research and his own clinical experience, Dr. Peikin prescribes a healthy diet high in fiber and low in fat, spices, lactose, and caffeine. He provides a detailed list of "flag foods" to avoid in the case of specific problems; shows you how to use exercise, over-the-counter drugs, prescription drugs, and stress management to complement the program; and offers advice for coordinating the program with weight loss (or weight gain), working with medical professionals, and measuring progress.

"Highly recommended for its thorough coverage, sound advice, and healthy suggestions,"* Gastrointestinal Health—now revised and updated with the latest information on new drugs and research—is everything you need to know to find fast relief from a wide range of gastrointestinal difficulties.

Library Journal

Download Description

Based on the latest research and his own clinical experience, Dr. Peikin prescribes a healthy diet high in fiber and low in fat, spices, lactose, and caffeine. He provides a detailed list of ""flag foods"" to avoid in the case of specific problems; shows you how to use exercise, over-the-counter drugs, prescription drugs, and stress management to complement the program; and offers advice for coordinating the program with weight loss (or weight gain), working with medical professionals, and measuring progress.

""Highly recommended for its thorough coverage, sound advice, and healthy suggestions,""* Gastrointestinal Health -- now revised and updated with the latest information on new drugs and research -- is everything you need to know to find fast relief from a wide range of gastrointestinal difficulties.

Library Journal

Customer Reviews:

Great book for GERD sufferers.......2005-12-28

This book has it all; concise explanations of the etiology of each gastroenterologic problem and simple practical solutions. Generally, the doctor proposes a high fiber, low fat diet but each patient has to tailor their diet to their own specific needs as clearly there are certain foods that are fine for some, an irritant for others. I would note that contrary to one reviewer, I have made a number of the recipes. They are fairly simple, mostly typical ingredients and have been delicious.
The one problem I have with the book is the contradictory advice with respect to some specific food items. For example, if you suspect that your LES valve muscle is the culprit, the recipes in the 2 week plan contain a good deal of ingredients (citrus fruits, cocoa) which may irritate that condition. The doctor has not provided alternatives to substitute for these ingredients. Generally though, I think the implied message is you have got to get to know your body well as you lower the fat and increase the fiber in your diet.

Informative; not bogged down with technical language.......2005-08-27

If you could purchase one book on GI issues, this should be it. My copy is filled with notes and highights and I have recommended it to many of my friends. I found the technical jargon to be quite easy to comprehend (yes, I know I am also a Dr., but trust me -- we appreciate the simplified lanauge as well). The author also integrates a nutritional aspect, although some of the info can be quite contradictory (check out the cooking section...). Overall, I LOVE this book and I have brought it on many a Dr's visit. Its quite impressive.

Gastrointestinal Health by Peikin MD.......2004-02-03

This book is very useful for a wide constituency of physicians
and patients . It is helpful for gastrointestinal, neurologic
and rhematological problems. The author treats the nutritional
dimension of our health. For instance, milk may harm ulcers
and exacerbate other problems in the GI tract. Spicy foods may
aggravate inflammations. The author explains that the small
intestine digests proteins and splits amino acids and enzymes.
The digestive system interacts with the circulatory system.
Nutrients travel to the liver which secretes bile and removes
toxins from injested foods. With the exception of fats, all
nutrients enter the bloodstream via the liver. Undigested
fiber evacuates. White bread, chocolate and pastas clog the
digestive system. Spasms aggravate existing digestive disorders.
These spasms may take the form of abdomenal discomfort,
IBS, Crohns Disease and diverticulosis. Pancreatitis is a
steady increase in abdomenal discomfort aggravated by alcohol.

Sandostatin treats pancreatitis. Certain foods contain gluten.
The gluten can aggravate existing gastrointestinal conditions.
Eliminating wheat, rye and sweets helps to alleviate symptoms.
Stress is an aggravating factor with regard to the GI tract.
An increase in fiber helps the tract operate better. In addition,
the GI tract needs micronutrients and vitamins to aid in
the digestive process. This book is excellent as a health
maintenance tool.

This book was a lifesaver.......2003-11-22

I suffered for a year before this book came to my rescue. Once I started having stabbing pains after I ate, a friend let me borrow her copy to seek some relief. After an endoscopy and a trip to the emergency room with excrutiating pain, I finally consulted the book and learned that my problem may go further than acid reflux. At my second trip to the ER I insisted on having my gallbladder tested. The ER doctor was not interested in going that direction, but he placated me and let me have an ultrasound. That revealed that I had an enlarged gallbladder and gallstones. I had surgery the next day to remove the gallbladder. Had I not read the book and become informed, there is no telling how much longer I would have had to suffer (the ER docs were content with medicating me and sending me home and not trying to figure out what was wrong). It helps to educate yourself when you know something is not right with your body, because doctors do not know everything. I had seen two doctors previously, and neither had an inkling that my gallbladder might have been my problem. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has digestive problems.

Walking Is The Key.......2001-02-05

I read the earlier edition of this book and have the new edition. I thought it was good enough to buy the second edition. If you ever watch the commercials on TV during the evening news you would think pretty much everyone in the United States has something wrong with their stomach. That is not too far off. I was one of these unfortunate afflicted people and have had many problems with my digestive system. Fortunately however these problems were mainly caused by my own diet and lifestyle and this book helped me to identify these things. This book is good because it gives real life examples and doesn't try to tell anyone to always eat pefectly which is basically impossible and even if it is possible the person would die of monotony probably. For example I used to eat 3 or 4 pork chops at one meal but the book says meat should not be as significant a part of the diet. This causes you to lose weight also in a safe way. The biggest thing I think is the part about exercise. The book says go for a long walk every night. I don't do that but do try to keep up my walking on a regular basis which is easier though in the warm weather. Walking is probably the best exercise for most people since it's much safer than running which people tend to not keep up with anyway. Getting on a walking routine can offset the problems caused by not always eating perfectly. If you do this and also identify things you may not be able to digest such as milk you shouldn't have too many stomach problems. There's milk out now called 'Lactaid' which has the lactose either partially or completely removed. Also I heard there's an orange juice out now with the citric acid removed but I haven't tried it yet. Those who don't do these things will ultimately try to treat their problems with over the counter or prescription drugs rather than attack the problems at the source. You can see by the number of over weight people in American society that many choose to take the easy way out which just makes the problems worse. I've seen commercials encouraging teenagers to start taking laxatives.

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