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`Wood draws out textual details attentively and brilliantly, showing how reading can be as much of an art as writing' --Evening Standard
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'it's like being taught by a very good teacher...
your head will be ringing with images...they are beautifully chosen.'
your head will be ringing with images...they are beautifully chosen.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Examining greatness in a literary world,
By Jeremy Persaud (Essex) - See all my reviews
This review is from: How Fiction Works (Paperback)
An engrossing examination of the writers art, and a must read for anyone with a love of books and writing. James Wood explores classic and modern writers and their works to divine the essence of what makes great literature - looking at narration, detail, dialogue and other characteristics that make up a novel. This illuminating and erudite study of fiction should be read by all aspiring authors and book worms who ponder over the elusive qualities that create great literature.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
`The house of fiction has many windows but only two or three doors.',
By J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: How Fiction Works (Hardcover)
The title attracted my attention: I know what I like when I read it, but I don't always stop to analyse how it works, or even why. I also wondered, as I made a decision to read, whether a book of less than 300 pages could address this to my satisfaction.
I found the book interesting. Far from attempting definitive answers, Professor Wood poses a set of questions to consider as part of critical reading. Consider the following: `What do we mean when we say we `know' a fictional character?' `What constitutes a `telling' detail?' `When is a metaphor successful?' `Why do most endings of novels disappoint?' Professor Wood covers the narrative and style of a range of different authors, including Homer, Austen, Woolf, Bellow, Beatrix Potter, Coetzee, Le Carre and Pynchon. For me, this book is a starting point rather than a destination. I enjoyed the writing, didn't always share the conclusions and would like to consider further some of the other forms of fiction apart from novels. Jennifer Cameron-Smith
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Informative and relatively jargon-free.,
By
This review is from: How Fiction Works (Paperback)
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book. I haven't studied English Literature since I was at school and was looking for something that wasn't overly academic but would give me a better understanding of the novel.
I was impressed with this book as it did just that. Wood clearly knows what he's talking about and his enthusiasm for reading is clear throughout the book. There isn't overuse of jargon and so the book was perfect for me as a non-academic. There is good use of references to other sources and the novels mentioned as examples are nicely varied. The references are clearly noted in a bibliography at the end of the book and so this is a good source if you're looking to do some further reading. Whilst this is a fairly short book and therefore doesn't encompass everything, there are many aspects covered including narration, detail, character, language and more. There are also a couple of sections dedicated to Flaubert and his use of free indirect style. I found this to be a good resource and starting point for literary theory. It will certainly make me think a little more about what I'm reading and has made me want to read more about the workings of the novel.
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