Literature & Literary Studies
Description
Critical Games is about the games we play (whether we know it or not), the ways we play them (for fun, but also to win, and to gain approval from others), and what happens when they get out of hand. The book interrogates the theory of play and gaming, with a particular focus on the games played by literary authors and literary critics. Drawing on (often self-critical) autobiography, as well as readings in texts across a range of languages, Tim Beasley-Murray plays with academic conventions to highlight what is at stake in them, turning to the Game of Literature, from Kafka to Carrère, to seek models and warnings of the outcomes of taking games too seriously, or not taking them seriously enough.
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Endorsements
Critical Games is about the games we play (knowingly or not), the ways we play them (for fun, but also to win, and to gain approval from others), and what happens when they get out of hand. With readings of a range of cultural texts, from the Ancient Greeks to contemporary auto-fiction, it pinpoints what is critical in games and game-playing. Games and play are often seen as unserious, even childish. But many of our occupations and interactions are structured like games, with rules and rituals that make sense only once we agree to play them, or that seem incomprehensible if we do not realise we are already playing. This book develops and interrogates theories of play and gaming, from Huizinga to Bourdieu, with a particular focus on the games played by literary critics and literary authors. Drawing on (often self-critical) autobiography, as well as readings in texts across a range of languages, Tim Beasley-Murray plays with academic conventions to highlight what is at stake in them, turning to the Game of Literature, from Kafka to Carrère, to seek models and warnings of the outcomes of taking games too seriously, or not taking them seriously enough.
Reviews
Critical Games is about the games we play (knowingly or not), the ways we play them (for fun, but also to win, and to gain approval from others), and what happens when they get out of hand. With readings of a range of cultural texts, from the Ancient Greeks to contemporary auto-fiction, it pinpoints what is critical in games and game-playing. Games and play are often seen as unserious, even childish. But many of our occupations and interactions are structured like games, with rules and rituals that make sense only once we agree to play them, or that seem incomprehensible if we do not realise we are already playing. This book develops and interrogates theories of play and gaming, from Huizinga to Bourdieu, with a particular focus on the games played by literary critics and literary authors. Drawing on (often self-critical) autobiography, as well as readings in texts across a range of languages, Tim Beasley-Murray plays with academic conventions to highlight what is at stake in them, turning to the Game of Literature, from Kafka to Carrère, to seek models and warnings of the outcomes of taking games too seriously, or not taking them seriously enough.
Author Biography
Tim Beasley-Murray is Associate Professor of European Thought and Culture at University College London
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Manchester University Press
Manchester University Press is a leading UK publisher known for excellent research in the humanities and social sciences.
View all titlesBibliographic Information
- Publisher Manchester University Press
- Publication Date June 2025
- Orginal LanguageEnglish
- ISBN/Identifier 9781526177773 / 1526177773
- Publication Country or regionUnited Kingdom
- FormatPrint PDF
- Pages328
- ReadershipGeneral/trade
- Publish StatusPublished
- Dimensions234 X 156 mm
- Biblio NotesDerived from Proprietary 6205
- Reference Code16394
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