How Fiction Works | James Wood

How Fiction Works | James Wood | Brilliant little book

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How Fiction Works

	How Fiction Works James Wood Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 19 reviews view larger image
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What makes a story a story? What is style? What?s the connection between realism and real life? These are some of the questions James Wood answers in How Fiction Works, the first book-length essay by the preeminent critic of his generation. Ranging widely?from Homer to David Foster Wallace, from What Maisie Knew to Make Way for Ducklings?Wood takes the reader through the basic elements of the art, step by step.

The result is nothing less than a philosophy of the novel?plainspoken, funny, blunt?in the traditions of E. M. Forster?s Aspects of the Novel and Strunk and White?s The Elements of Style. It sums up two decades of insight with wit and concision. It will change the way you read.

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Excellent

James Wood is one of the clearest, and most insightful of contemporary literature critics. This little volume is an extraordinary little to guide to creative writing from an obviously well read author. Wood privileges the modern realism of Flaubert and Tolstoy over more avant-garde approaches to literature. But nevertheless he is more than balanced in assessing the various perspectives on voice, detail, and character. He often emphasizes the importance of the inner tension between the voice of the author and the voice of the character, and assesses various authors in their successes (Joyce), and failures (Updike) with this perennial question. This is a truly intelligent and well written literary guide.

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Brilliant little book

Breathtaking exposition on the development of the novel over the last few centuries, in particular the "realist" style. Brilliant non-fiction gem about fiction. Opinionated rather than encyclopedic, but a great touchstone for further reading.

The design of the book is particularly inviting--its modest weight, friendly typeface, and wide margins make this book a pleasant evening companion--a book you aren't afraid to ask out on a second date. I plan to re-read it once or twice if I ever get it back.

Bracing, memorable writing. If you want to add another dimension to your appreciation of the novel, this gorgeously edited book is ideal. If, like me, you are a writer of non-fiction, this book is a model.

If, on the other hand, you want cheerleading or technical tips for writing a novel--if you want reinforcement of your personal idea of what's Good in fiction--this book may not be right for you.

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Literary Criticism

I am enjoying this book, but am not enough of a scholar to give a serious or creditable evaluation. Wood talks about the author's aesthetic distance, and wonders if such a thing is even possible, because all the voices of narration are ultimately the author's voice, and all characters are ultimately aspects of the author as well. He devotes some pages to characters that are either flat, caricatures, or rounded and full. He cites many writers to illustrate, which I enjoy.I haven't finished the book, but I would recommend it to anyone who loves fiction and wants a deeper understanding of the elements that make it either work or not.

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A critic's defense of traditional realism

I had hoped to learn from this book how to read and write fiction better. This is not a good reason to read this book. I learned little. The book is a defense of common literary realism against the attacks of avant garde experimentalists. Wood defends it by interpreting examples drawn from classic traditional novels (Flaubert, Tolstoy,... Bellow, Updike). I found his examples well chosen and expertly interpreted, but if you already understand that good writing involves narration, telling details, vivid characters, sympathy for characters different from you, language that is powerful, economical, and musical, and that literature should give delight as well as truth, you won't learn much. You'll find some great illustrations of writers accomplishing these things well, but if you read fiction, you'll already have your own examples.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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