Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste by Carl Wilso

Description: Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love by Carl Wilson This book is a riveting investigation of what it means to love music and what it means to hate music, both of good taste and bad taste. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Non-fans regard Céline Dion as ersatz and plastic, yet to those who love her, no one could be more real, with her impoverished childhood, her (creepy) manager-husbands struggle with cancer, her knack for howling out raw emotion. Theres nothing cool about Céline Dion, and nothing clever. Thats part of her appeal as an object of love or hatred — with most critics and committed music fans taking pleasure (or at least geeky solace) in their lofty contempt. This book documents Carl Wilsons brave and unprecedented year-long quest to find his inner Céline Dion fan, and explores how we define ourselves in the light of what we call good and bad, what we love and what we hate. Author Biography Carl Wilson is the music critic at Slate and also writes for The Globe and Mail, Hazlitt, The New York Times Magazine and many other online and print publications. He lives in Toronto, where he is the doorman at the Trampoline Hall Lecture Series. Table of Contents the Object Model, the author takes a "holistic" approach to examining object-oriented programming. Requiring no previous programming experience, this book features realistic business examples to demonstrate how objects can be used in team settings to solve "industrial-strength" problems. Readers will learn to view a problem in terms of interacting objects, with an emphasis on the importance of the class interface. With a firm grounding in the concepts of "interface," "class," and "object," the programmer will be better prepared to understand the design and implementation of programs using C++. For new programmers, this approach results in notable improvements in the organization, modularity, and focus of their programs. It also enables the experienced programmer to transition more easily from the procedural to the object model. Features Assumes no prior programming knowledge. Illustrates how objects can be used to solve large-scale business problems whose requirements are in a constant state of flux. Provides information on multifile projects, a prerequisite for working in teams. Demonstrates incremental program development and emphasizes well documented classes. Emphasizes the importance of class design in producing cohesively coded modules with a minimal degree of dependency on other code. Shows how to design and implement a class interface before its methods. Covers essential, yet behind-the-scenes features of C++ like constructors, destructors and assignment operators, and positions the reader to explore new features of the C++ standard including templates, exception handling, and run-time. 0805316744B04062001 Review "Lets Talk" about one of the most interesting music books youll read this year... The always critical and erudite Mr. Wilson actually approached Lets Talk About Love as a non-fan grappling with questions of "good" and "bad" taste... Its almost certainly the only installment in the series to discuss French-Canadian race relations, rockism, and Milan Kunderas thoughts on kitsch. * Idolator.com *This could be the best book of the series...razor-sharp and unerringly intelligent. -- John Wenzel * The Denver Post *This book seriously explores the wide divide between mainstream pop that is mass-marketed and purchased, and the critics who usually sneer at it for those very reasons. Its a heady work that examines everything from reductive Marxist theories of culture to why critics value restrained singing while American Idol fans embrace show-offy technical power. -- Mike Weatherfork * Las Vegas Review Journal *A book pondering the aesthetics of Céline risks going wrong in about 3,000 different ways...Instead, this book goes very deeply right. -- Sam Anderson * New York Magazine *Lets Talk About Love is a rigorous, perceptive and very funny meditation on what happens when you realize that theres more to life than being hip, and begin to grapple with just what that "more" might be. * Montreal Gazette *A bit of a departure for Continuums 33 1/3 series exploring classic records...readers of the dizzingly dweeby intellectualizing that often makes Wilsons blog an exhausting pleasure to read will not be surprised that, for him, a discussion of the love theme from Titanic must encompass an examination of Quebecois culture, the history of parlour entertainment as it relates to the immigrant experience, the philosophies of Hume and Kant and the sociological experiments of Pierre Bordieu. -- Edward Keenan * Eye Weekly *Blending pop culture, cultural history, music criticism with Wilsons eclectic sensibility, the book is a fascinating look at how highbrow, middlebrow and nobrow rub meaningful observations along the way, moving on to the next without ever belabouring a point. The book is clever without the writer himself ever coming across as trying to be clever...Its like having an interesting conversation with a friend whose opinions you respect. * Toronto Star Online, November 2009 *This erudite and eye-opening book attempts to explore not only Dions polarizing appeal but also the very concept of "taste." Along the way, Wilson traces his loathing for Dion back to her Oscars performance alongside Elliott Smith, examines the meaning of "schmaltz" and Dions French-Canadian roots, meets her adoring fans, sees her Vegas show, reviews the album (its the one with that Titanic song), and analyzes theories on taste from David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Pierre Bourdieu (turns out social distinction plays a big part). By the end, Wilson has set the blueprint for a kind of music criticism that "might put less stock in defending its choices and more in depicting its enjoyment, with all its messiness and private soul tremors-- to show what it is like for me to like it, and invite you to compare." In other words, lets talk about love. * Pitchfork feature "Our 60 Favorite Music Books" *Erudite and eye-opening. * Pitchforks "Our 60 Favorite Music Books" feature *I teach in a university drama programme and I plan to integrate the book into our first-year Critical Theories course as a way to introduce students to principles of aesthetics, and to the discourse around pop/high culture. Its difficult to make Kantian aesthetics accessible to 18 year olds. Lets Talk About Love is a rare instance of the transmission of complex and sophisticated ideas in language that is accessible without being dumbed-down. -- Karen Fricker, Lecturer in Contemporary Theatre, Royal Holloway, University of LondonLets Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste offers a rare combination of compelling research and enormously entertaining writing, a real find for students of popular culture. Its a compact little volume packed with keen insights into the ideologies that have shaped music criticism and scholarship, thought-provoking commentary on problems of aesthetics, and sensitive reflexive analysis. That reflexivity, along with a careful balance of critical theory and field research, makes this work particularly appropriate for courses with an ethnomusicological angle. And as ethnomusicologists continue to cultivate a growing sub-field in popular music studies, Lets Talk About Love is a timely and valuable resource. -- Katherine Meizel, Lecturer in Ethnomusicology,University of California, Santa BarbaraWritten keenly and with great generosity. * Idolator, 24 December 2008 *The book [is] an engaging and intelligent study of taste and critiism framed by Celine Dions tragic music. * EyeWeekly, 24 February 2009 *...a brilliant read and a total eye-opener. Unlike other contributors, Wilson doesnt shore up another crumbling wall of the canon but dives into a world of kitsch to ask what makes us hate music. How can we know that bad music really is bad, and what is taste anyway? Itll shake all your critical certainties, which is not a very good idea when youre in my line of work. * The Word Magazine *Mention in Todays Books * BookweekThe A-List *Wilson covers a lot of ground in his 161-page quest; the second half of the book reads like a Cultural Studies power ballad, invoking Roland Barthes, Theodor Adorno, Immanuel Kant, Clement Greenberg, Arthur C. Danto, and scores of other contemporary critics in rapid succession. Perhaps most impressively, Wilson condenses French sociologist Pierre Bourdieus mammoth (and seminal) tome Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste into one spry little chapter. * Rain Taxi *Its said theres no accounting for taste, but Canadian music critic Carl Wilson certainly makes a Herculean effort in this latest entry in Continuums 33 1/3 series...En route, Wilson finds plenty of fellow detractors, generously hashes out a lengthy definition of "schmaltz," and drags Elliott Smith, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Clement Greenberg, Pierre Bourdieu, and a gaggle of shameless starry-eyed Dion fanatics into his intellectual and aesthetic morass. -- Raymond Cummings * Baltimore City Paper *Morally you could fairly ask, Wilson writes, what is more laudable about excess in the name of rage and resentment than immoderation in thrall to love and connection? That is, indeed, a fair and moral question, and it leads Wilson to wonder if anyones tastes stand on solid ground, starting with mine. He doesnt reach any definite conclusions, but the conversation he carries on through the centuries with everyone from philosophers David Hume and Immanuel Kant to sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, is by turns enlightening, provocative and unexpectedly moving. Wilson aptly calls Lets Talk About Love an experiment in taste, and maybe as much as anything else, the book argues that such an experiment is one wed all do well to conduct. -- David Cantwell * No Depression *The 33 1/3 of pocket books ... are superb little volumes devoted to classic albums. What unites them is not so much their subject as the standard of the writing and imagination that the authors have brought to their task... every one Ive read has been well worth the attention. Wilsons approach to Celine Dione, however, stands out ... Clever and witty. -- Keith Bruce * The Herald (Glasgow), Saturday 8th March 2008. *Lets Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste is Canadian journalist Carl Wilsons Celine Dion contribution to Continuums inspired 33 1/3 series of short books ... Music criticism is often just guy-world. Wilson is the real thing. I cant praise this small book enough. Smart, but humane. -- Heather Wilson * CBC, Monday 25th February 2008. *Its fascinating stuff...By turns hilarious and heartwarming. -- Dave Stelfox * Guardian Unlimited Arts blog *Mention on Offbeat.com -- Alex RawlsCarl Wilson was interviewed by The Onions A.V. Club -- Steven HydenFramed by an irresistible concept...Wilson turns the [33 1/3] series on its head by seriously considering a blockbuster hit by Celine Dion. -- Christopher Gray * Portland Phoenix *Wilsons approach to Celine Dion...stands out. Wilson examines why he loathes it, its creator and everything about her-- and what inspires devotion in her bast army of followers around the world...Clever and witty, it almost make me seek out the album. But not quite. -- Keith Bruce * The Herald, Glasgow *Constantly interesting and thought-provoking...and I think he can teach us a few valuable things about criticism, for what its worth. -- John Mulvey * Uncut, UK *I still dont like what I know of Dions music and probably never will. But Wilsons efforts to examine the rote critical assumption that Celine Dions music blows digs up all kinds of fascinating issues about the nature of taste and the hierarchy of pop culture. * Bohemian.com *An insightful, engaging and unexpectedly moving book. -- Jason Anderson * Globe and Mail *Brilliant. -- Alex Ross, author of The Rest is NoiseConsistently thought provoking. -- Matthew Siblo * Express: A Publication of The Washington Post *This book is especially interesting on Dions background... His book is intelligent and often moving. * The Daily Telegraph *In perhaps the most erudite and humane book of criticism ever written, Lets Talk About Love, the music journalist Carl Wilson brilliantly used Celine Dions album of the same name to discuss the subjective nature of good taste and to try to understand what makes Dion so world-dominatingly popular. * The Daily Beast *Music criticism is often just guy-world. Wilsons the real thing. I cant praise this small book enough. Smart, but humane. -- Heather Mallick * CBC News: Analysis and Viewpoint *By exploring taste, kitsch, culture, fans, the state of contemporary criticism, Quebec nationalism, and economics in Celine Dions Lets Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste, Carl Wilson manages to produce one of the most interesting and erudite books on why people love and hate certain kinds of art...Readers will find themselves evaluating their views on arts with added scrutiny after reading this surprising and provocative book. * Hipster Book Club *A wide-ranging book, one predicated on the possibility that what repels us may say more about us than what attracts us...[an] insightful, engaging, and unexpectedly moving book. -- Jason Anderson * The Globe and Mail *An important study- not just of Dion and pop music but also of the changing nature of criticism in the popular realm. -- Andy Battaglia * Bookforum *As refreshing a music book I have read in a long time. -- David Gutowski * Largehearted Boy, Book Notes *An illustration of the best side of music criticism. * Erasing Clouds *Wilson uses Dions record as a crowbar, and pries open the assumptions and prejudices which shape our tastes in the first place. Despite our preconceptions surrounding Wilsons ostensible subject (or perhaps, because of them), the results are subtle, and startling enough to give the most jaded of readers pause. -- Alex Abramovich * Flavorpill NYC *The ironic subtitle attached to Wilsons tome signaled the departure it marked from the series usual fare. His subject, Celine Dion, was in the eyes music criticisms orthodoxy, the antithesis of the celebrated artist, and, accordingly, Wilson presented his work as a challenge, to himself and others, to approach her with fresh ears. -- Leela Ginelle * PQ Monthly *The most unlikely album made the best 33 1/3: Celine Dion isnt usually afforded the same respect as a Bob Dylan or a Joni Mitchell, but Carl Wilson uses her populist art and personal history to ask questions about class, taste, and race in an effort to figure out how one of the most popular singers in the world could be loved and hated in equal measure. The answers he finds arent always comfortable, but that only makes them more important and crucial to criticism in the 21st century. -- Stephen M. Deusner * Pitchfork * Promotional This book is a riveting investigation of what it means to love music and what it means to hate music, both of good taste and bad taste. Long Description Non-fans regard C Review Quote "written keenly and with great generosity" Reviewed in Idolator, 24 December 2008 Details ISBN082642788X Author Carl Wilson Series 33 1/3 Language English ISBN-10 082642788X ISBN-13 9780826427885 Media Book Format Paperback Imprint Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom Short Title 33 1/3 LETS TALK ABT LOVE Series Number 52 Birth 1924 Subtitle A Journey to the End of Taste DOI 10.1604/9780826427885 UK Release Date 2008-01-23 AU Release Date 2008-01-23 NZ Release Date 2008-01-23 Translated from English Pages 176 Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Year 2008 Publication Date 2008-01-23 DEWEY 782.42166092 Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:14349139;

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