Publisher's Synopsis
The picture on the front cover may need a word of explanation. Why should the author appear holding a copy of one of his books? I hope this is not an indication of vanity in my case. I plead that the issue at stake here is reflexivity. After a while authors may find themselves reading long forgotten passages they have written and thus become the critics of their own works. Inevitably they will fault with lapses of style and inept or colourless forms of expression. On the other hand they may find the occasional felicitous turn of phrase and even purple passages among long screeds of otherwise mediocre prose. Why did these passages go under and what can be done to bring them to the surface to the possible gratification and enrichment of the reading public?
