The Book Review:
The book review function is to tell the readers succinctly and readable whether the book is worth reading and if so, why. This is an expert’s job and is done by an authority on the subject matter of the book. Since the review may make or mar the popularity of the book. One important task of the book review is to bring out the main points of the book in a few sentences and apprise the readers of what the author has tried to say and bring out. In this respect the review’s analysis can be a brief capsule of the book, making the review self-sufficient by way of its giving a brief summary both of the contents and arguments contained in the book.
A small review of a book is generally three to five paragraphs. The review usually starts with the name of the book, the name of the publisher, the number of pages, and the price.
Tips for Book Reviewing: The following tips about book reviews are important:
- a brief description of the objectives of the book;
- Something about the author if the work involves original research or the author has a standing and status;
- a brief account of what the book tries to highlight;
- a comparison of the book with other important books in the same field;
- an appraisal preferably indirect through description and exposition in terms of the aims and purposes of the author.
John Pringle of Sydney Morning Herald says, “When I find a good or interesting book, my chief aim is to share my pleasure with my readers and, if possible, to persuade them to read it themselves”
Francis Brown, Editor of the New York Times says, “The purpose of the best book review is to furnish the perspective, to put into place to further appreciation, sometimes to challenge the accepted”.
An idea review, according to Marjorie Bitker, should convey to its readers a sense of what the book is about, its plot, characters, whether or not the author has accomplished what he intended, and give the readers some evaluation based upon the review’s standard of writing, taste, and experience. The reviewer’s task is to give the reader enough information to enable him to decide whether or not he/she wants to read the volume under discussion.
Journalism is Literature in a Hurry.
Literature broadly is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction,drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include oral literature, much of which has been transcribed. Literature is a method of recording, preserving, and transmitting knowledge and entertainment, and can also have a social, psychological, spiritual, or political role.
Literature, as an art form, can also include works in various non-fiction genres, such as biography, diaries, memoir, letters , and the essay. Within its broad definition, literature includes non-fictional books, articles or other printed information on a particular subject.
Etymologically, the term derives from Latin literatura/litteratura “learning, a writing, grammar,” originally “writing formed with letters,” from litera/littera “letter”. In spite of this, the term has also been applied to spoken or sung texts. Developments in print technology have allowed an ever-growing distribution and proliferation of written works, which now includes electronic literature.
Literature is classified according to whether it is poetry, prose or drama, and such works are categorized according to historical periods, or their adherence to certain aesthetic features, or genre.
