Denis Donoghue has written a seductive book. Perhaps it could be said that he has spliced together two books, one of which is more seductive than the other. One of them narrates. The othes contemplates. Warren-point is a series of passages, not unlike journal entries, some of which deal with his youth in the Northern Irish seaside town of that name, and in particular with his awareness, and acceptance, of his father, while the others consist of the annotations of the professor and man of letters. I don't mean to do as the Leavises did with Daniel Deronda and propose a Solomonic severance: let's just say that many readers would he very sorry to lose the memories if it were to come to a cut.

LRB 21 March 1991 | PDF Download