as "equipment for living"?       Tackling modernism         and postmodernism, Monroe outlines "virtue criticism," an alternative         to current theory. Focusing on works by T. S. Eliot, Vladimir Nabokov,         and Donald Barthelme, he demonstrates that these alienistic texts are         not just filled with belligerence but are also endowed with virtues, such         as trust and the promise of solidarity with the reader. By considering         these vital texts as responses to personal situations and institutional         practices, Monroe brings literature back to the common reader and shows         how it offers functional responses to the dysfunctional situations of         modern life.       Readers interested         in literary criticism, American culture, and the relationship between         ethics and literature will be fascinated by virtue criticism and this         fresh look at the virtues and vices of alienation.       Chosen as a Choice Magazine's Outstanding Academic Book for 1999.  

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