"A celebration and defense of the art of "idle talk"; a brilliant exploration of its role in literature (novels, memoirs, letters, journals) as well as in life." Gossip is not literature, but is it a form of fiction? Thinking about gossip and literature together, Spacks explores gossip in novels and by novelists, from Johnson and Richardson to Austen, Trollope, Woolf, Walpole (of course) and many more. Emma Woodhouse finds her way into this book. And we're not surprised! Jacket is intact with a little yellowing of the back cover. Bottom corners bumped. Otherwise VG.  Hb, Dj. 1985. Alfred A. Knopf. USED. $8.00