{"product_id":"the-five-minute-iliad-other-instant-classics-great-books-for-the-short-attention-span-paperback","title":"The Five Minute Iliad Other Instant Classics: Great Books for the Short Attention Span - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eGreg Nagan\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWas Homer really blind, or was that just his shtick? Was Dante a righty or a lefty? Why aren't there any pictures of Jane Austen in a bikini? What made Oscar so Wilde? How much did Hemingway? These are just some of the many great questions of Western literature ignored in this book. \u003cbr\u003e From the author of \u003ci\u003eA Prairie Home Companion\u003c\/i\u003e's beloved \"Five-Minute Classics\" comes \u003ci\u003eThe Five-Minute Iliad and Other Instant Classics, \u003c\/i\u003e a witty and profane lampoon of the Western literary canon -- the \u003ci\u003eSpinal Tap\u003c\/i\u003e of literature. \u003cbr\u003e \"I will never write such wordy trash again,\" Leo Tolstoy said of \u003ci\u003eWar and Peace\u003c\/i\u003e after reading Homer in the original Greek. Tolstoy's pledge inspired humorist Greg Nagan to whet his double-edged verbal sword and offer this gleefully twisted take on what contemporary readings of the Great Books say about our society today. \u003cbr\u003e From \u003ci\u003eThe Iliad\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eOn the Road, \u003c\/i\u003e these fifteen parodies provide a riotous romp through Western civilization (one version of it, anyway) from Homer to Kerouac, from Ancient Greece to Postwar America, from the Lyrical Epic to the Breathless Gush. Nagan's mirthful mayhem will delight those who've read the Great Books, and those who haven't read them will find these literary caricatures entertaining in their own right.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his work as a writer for Garrison Keillor's \u003ci\u003eA Prairie Home Companion, \u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003eGreg Nagan\u003c\/b\u003e was the cofounder of both the critically acclaimed Chicago theater group igLoo and the award-winning Studio 108. The creator of the popular Web site JustMorons.com, he lives in New York but remains nostalgic for Central Time\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 224\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.52 x 8.72 x 5.42 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e July 16, 2002\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47384528224434,"sku":"9780684867670","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/490cc1fdec4f99d76411fc435bbdb2fa.webp?v=1777887746","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/the-five-minute-iliad-other-instant-classics-great-books-for-the-short-attention-span-paperback","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}