Rediscover this deep, practical anatomy of the novel from 'the strongest ... literary critic we have' (New York Review of Books) in this new revised 10th anniversary edition. What do we mean when we say we 'know' a fictional character? What constitutes a 'telling' detail? When is a metaphor successful? Is realism realistic? Why do most endings of novels disappoint? In the tradition of E. M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel and Milan Kundera's The Art of the Novel, How Fiction Works is a study of the main elements of ...
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Rediscover this deep, practical anatomy of the novel from 'the strongest ... literary critic we have' (New York Review of Books) in this new revised 10th anniversary edition. What do we mean when we say we 'know' a fictional character? What constitutes a 'telling' detail? When is a metaphor successful? Is realism realistic? Why do most endings of novels disappoint? In the tradition of E. M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel and Milan Kundera's The Art of the Novel, How Fiction Works is a study of the main elements of fiction, such as narrative, detail, characterization, dialogue, realism, and style. In his first full-length book of criticism, one of the most prominent critics of our time takes the machinery of story-telling apart to ask a series of fundamental questions. Wood ranges widely, from Homer to Beatrix Potter, from the Bible to John Le Carr???, and his book is both a study of the techniques of fiction-making and an alternative history of the novel. Playful and profound, it incisively sums up two decades of bold, often controversial, and now classic critical work, and will be enlightening to writers, readers, and anyone interested in what happens on the page. 'Should find a place on every novel-lover's shelf. It has the quality all useful works of criticism should have: refined taste, keen observation, and the ability to make the reader argue, passionately, with it' Financial Times
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Add this copy of How Fiction Works to cart. $10.99, fair condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Picador.
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Woods gives you, the writer, very valuable insight into your craft. This book may take several readings to fully appreciate. It follows in the footsteps of E.M. Forster's "Aspects of the Novel."
Let's say you are concerned with expressing the thought of your character. Wood takes you through the evolution of this process from the Bible to present.
His approach is to cite specific authors and their technique.
As a result of reading Wood, I looked at a major POV in a novel I thought I had completed. I realized that the character spoke in my voice and not his own. This provoked thought as to what voice would this character have? What would concern him? How would he form his thoughts and speech?
I can not promise you similar results because I do not know how deeply you are prepared to interact with Wood. But, if you are willing, the results are very worthwhile indeed.
englishmajor1
Sep 11, 2008
Lives up to its title
So many books on literary criticism with so much confusion regarding "point of view", but this little book, such at treat to read, gives the best sense of author- reader relationship, I've ever read. If you are a writer, in any capacity, read this book. You will see why some fiction works. and some doesn't. And for you English majors, it's just something you have to know.
