On Waiting

Harold Schweizer is Professor of English and Chair of the English Department at Bucknell University. He teaches courses in modern poetry, literary theory, holocaust studies, representations of suffering, and the comparative humanities. His publications include Suffering and the Remedy of Art (1997), The Bucknell Lectures in Literary Theory (ed. 1989-94), and others. His most recent publications, on the temporality of waiting, have appeared in Soundings, The University of Toronto Quarterly, and The Journal of Modern Literature.

‘This is a quite remarkable book, a pleasure to read. Not only is it clear and informative but also by turns witty, melancholic and insightful. The book is astonishingly erudite, but wears this learning so lightly and so charmingly that it is both easy and gripping to read.’ - Robert Eaglestone, Royal Holloway, University of London'...a wonderfully-written book that truly sparkles.' - David Bissell, Time & Society Review of Books 'Harold Schweizer’s new volume, On Waiting, is a finely crafted, finely considered exploration. It addresses with both simplicity of expression and complexity of understanding one of the major facts of our lives—that much of it is spent waiting.' - Jacqueline Vaught Brogan, Journal of Modern Literature

• 1. Nobody Likes to Wait 2. A Brief Theory of Waiting: Henri Bergson's Lump of Sugar 3. In the Waiting Room 4. Penelope's Insomnia 5. Lingering, Tarrying, Dwelling upon: Elizabeth Bishop's Poem 6. Waiting for Death: Ferdinand Hodler's Paintings of Valentine Gode-Darel 7. Waiting and Hoping: Raymond Carver's A Small, Good Thing