How Fiction Works
How Fiction Works by James Wood, published by Macmillan on July 22, 2008, is a first edition that spans 265 pages. This book-length essay explores fundamental questions about storytelling, style, and the relationship between realism and real life. Wood draws on a wide range of literary examples, from classic works like Homer to contemporary authors such as David Foster Wallace, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the elements that constitute fiction.
In this insightful examination, readers will find a thoughtful analysis of the art of the novel, presented in a clear and engaging manner. Wood’s exploration covers various aspects of literary criticism and writing, making connections between different texts and styles. The work serves as a philosophical guide to fiction, offering a blend of wit and straightforwardness that reflects two decades of critical insight. This edition is suitable for those interested in language arts, literary collections, and the craft of writing.
Official synopsis Publisher
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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