Product Description

‘The Art of Fiction’ is essential, thoroughly entertaining reading for writers, students and anyone who wants to understand how literature works. The articles by David Lodge, which first appeared in the Independent on Sunday, are expanded here and consider the subject under a wide range of headings such as ‘The Intrusive Author’, ‘Suspense’ and ‘Magic Realism’. Styles and techniques are illustrated in each case by passages from classic or modern fiction. Drawing on writers as diverse as Henry James and Martin Amis, Jane Austen and Fay Weldon and Henry Fielding and James Joyce, Lodge also demonstrates the richness and variety of British and American fiction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6554 in Books
• Published on: 1994-07-28
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
David Lodge has written many bestselling novels, including THINKS and NICE WORK. His books have sold well over a million copies in Penguin. Formerly Professor of English at Birmingham University, he now writes full-time. He continues to live in Birmingham.

Customer Reviews

An understated and friendly guide
This collection of essays represents an understated and friendly guide. Thorough but accessible, Lodge has written a readable journey into the ways in which texts can be read. Although neither as challenging nor thought-provoking as more academic volumes on 'ways of reading', The Art of Fiction has the brevity and lightness of touch that makes it an excellent starting point for those interested in fiction in all its forms, and for those who want to indulge in the magical variety of classic and contemporary fiction.

Useful and interesting guide to fiction
This is one of the best introductions to understanding fiction - particularly the novel - that I've read. It's particularly suitable for someone without any background in the arts. It's divided into 50 short chapters, each beginning with a short extract that provides the basis for discussion for what follows. It covers topics such as division into chapters, symbolism, voice, and just about everything you ever needed to know. It is clearly written without any of the pretension and unnecessary difficulty that often dogs the area. Highly recommended.

Fifty steps to understanding literature.
As an aspiring novelist I can highly recommend this book. In fifty chapters David Lodge explains pretty much everything you need to know to gain a deeper insight into reading literature. I have read further than this book, such as I.A. Richard's Principles of Literary Criticism and Jonathan Culler's works on literary theory and literary criticism but Lodge's more modest work still has pride of place on my bookshelf next to these other giants.

So many critics seem to know the way but are unable to drive.
With Lodge this is not a problem as he is both a critically acclaimed author and a respected academic. As a result he is able to offer an insight into literature from within and without. The only criticism I have, and it is a very small one, is that he only comments on English and American literature because he specialises in these fields of literature. Something he admits to in the introduction. But this is largely unimportant considering the wealth of English and American literature.

Whether you are a student of literature, an aspiring writer, or simply someone who wishes to better understand what you read then this is a book to start with as it is refreshingly free of pretentiousness.