**National Book Critics Circle Award FinalistBest Book of Fall (Esquire) and a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 (Lit Hub)What Has Happened to Fiction in the Age of Platform Capitalism?**Since it was first launched in 1994, Amazon has changed the world of literature. The “Everything Store” has not just transformed how we buy books; it has affected what we buy, and even what we read. In Everything and Less, acclaimed critic Mark McGurl explores...

Once upon a time there were good American novels and bad ones, but none was thought of as a work of art. The Novel Art tells the story of how, beginning with Henry James, this began to change. Examining the late-nineteenth century movement to elevate the status of the novel, its sources, paradoxes, and reverberations into the twentieth century, Mark McGurl presents a more coherent and wide-ranging account of the development of American modernist fiction than ever before.Mo...

In The Program Era, Mark McGurl offers a fundamental reinterpretation of postwar American fiction, asserting that it can be properly understood only in relation to the rise of mass higher education and the creative writing program. McGurl asks both how the patronage of the university has reorganized American literature and—even more important—how the increasing intimacy of writing and schooling can be brought to bear on a reading of this literature.McGurl argues that far f...

Do you ever find yourself stressed to the point that you just can't relax? Is your body and mind so tense, that you are unable to enjoy your life? For most of us, our day-to-day routines and endeavors spiral us into becoming stressed. We become trapped in an unhealthy mindset and it is time to take back your life and find a way to relax. In this guided meditation you will: Find ways to realize that you are perfect and worthy. Find yourself transported to an eternal state of being-- releasi...

Tiny changes, monumental results. Do you suffer from a lack of sleep? Are you constantly tired and dragging throughout the day? Not having a significant amount of quality sleep each night, can hinder your quality of life in great measures. In this relaxing guided meditation for deep sleep, the author takes you through a tranquil step-by-step guide to gaining a deep sleep and new you. In this self-help guided meditation recording you will: Gather energy to use in a positive manner. Clear yo...

Do you ever find yourself stressed to the point that you just can't relax? Is your body and mind so tense, that you are unable to enjoy your life? For most of us, our day-to-day routines and endeavors spiral us into becoming stressed. We become trapped in an unhealthy mindset and it is time to take back your life and find a way to relax. In this guided meditation you will: Find ways to realize that you are perfect and worthy. Find yourself transported to an eternal state of being-- releasi...

Do you feel overcome by feelings of shame when expressing your sexuality? We are primal beings, and humans possess sexuality as one of the primary states. And other than being discerning, guilt-free sexuality is not only permitted but also encouraged. You need to feel truly liberated and recognize yourself as a free spirit who was meant to explore existence in as many ways as possible. Removing any negative social programming will also enable you to be more independent. In the Shame-Free S...

Do you find it difficult to experience sensual self-pleasure? You may have a mental block that might prevent you from indulging in it. To stop yourself from doing so, and bottling up the desire, could lead to greater social ills. You are a child of nature and should feel free to explore your sensuality in a healthy way. Being intimate with yourself could help you improve your mental health and feel liberated. To make it happen, you need to relax and let go. In the Exploring Self-Pleasure s...

There are so many things that you want to do and so much that you want to be, but you are afraid for one reason or another. For a while, you have felt safe being where you are, but now you need to see life from a different vantage point. If this is you, then what you really need is courage. It will help you garner the confidence, authority, and power to experience life on your own terms. You will realize that you inhabit a part of this world that is yours and that you make the rules for yo...

Do you feel that there is something blocking your desire to sensually let go? If so, this could prevent you from fully experiencing intimacy and could affect you socially, mentally, and emotionally. You could have acquired inhibitions that you need to remove. By experiencing the sensuality that you desire, you could live more fully. Inhibitions can be removed by deeper learning, which you can reconstruct as the master of your own destiny. You need to trust your impulses and develop emotion...

The pressures of everyday life can make you insensitive toward the feelings of those around you. As such, a rift might develop between you and others that will make you behave in an aloof way around those you know. The solution is to learn about and get closer to the people in your life. By developing your sense of empathy and compassion, you can find yourself harmoniously surrounded by your circle of friends, family, and acquaintances. In the Loving Kindness series, you will be guided to ...

We are constantly creating distractions for and distancing ourselves from our true nature. Our lifestyles create a lot of situations within our lives with which we train ourselves to be more productive and efficient at work. It then becomes difficult for us to relax or give time to ourselves in the pursuit of meaningful relationships. When we realize our desire to engage with a significant other and explore intimacy together, we feel trapped and do not know how to accomplish it. In the Let...