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The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers Paperback – June 4, 1991
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John Gardner was almost as famous as a teacher of creative writing as he was for his own works. In this practical, instructive handbook, based on the courses and seminars that he gave, he explains, simply and cogently, the principles and techniques of good writing. Gardner’s lessons, exemplified with detailed excerpts from classic works of literature, sweep across a complete range of topics—from the nature of aesthetics to the shape of a refined sentence. Written with passion, precision, and a deep respect for the art of writing, Gardner’s book serves by turns as a critic, mentor, and friend. Anyone who has ever thought of taking the step from reader to writer should begin here.
- Print length240 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherVintage
- Publication dateJune 4, 1991
- Reading age14 - 17 years
- Dimensions8.5 x 5.43 x 0.3 inches
- ISBN-100679734031
- ISBN-13978-0679734031
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"It will fascinate anyone interested in how fiction gets put together. For the young writer it will become a necessary handbook, a stern judge, an encouraging friend... In the first half of the book, Gardner investigated just what fiction is. In the second half, he treats specific technical matters. The Art of Fiction is filled with lecture counsel, wise encouragement." -John L'Heureux, The New York Times Book Review
"A densely packed book of advice to all writers, not just young ones... It is serious, provocative, and funny, and I recommend it to anyone who cares about literature."- Margaret Manning, The Boston Globe
"He lays out virtually everything a person might want to know [about] how to say it, with good and bad examples and judgments falling like autumn leaves in a November storm." -William McPherson, The Washington Post
"The next best thing to graduate workshop in fiction writing. Drawing on examples from Homer to Kafka to Joyce Carol Oates, Gardner unravels the mysteries of plot, sentence structure, diction, and point of view." - Book-of-the-Month Club News
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Product details
- Publisher : Vintage; Reissue edition (June 4, 1991)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 240 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0679734031
- ISBN-13 : 978-0679734031
- Reading age : 14 - 17 years
- Item Weight : 7.7 ounces
- Dimensions : 8.5 x 5.43 x 0.3 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #64,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #35 in General Books & Reading
- #181 in Fiction Writing Reference (Books)
- #197 in Essays (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![John Gardner](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ZFNh+B9QL._SY600_.jpg)
John Gardner (1933–1982) was born in Batavia, New York. His critically acclaimed books include the novels Grendel, The Sunlight Dialogues, and October Light, for which he received the National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as several works of nonfiction and criticism such as On Becoming a Novelist. He was also a professor of medieval literature and a pioneering creative writing teacher whose students included Raymond Carver and Charles Johnson.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book easy to read, with good lessons on diction and proper structure. They also say it gives the reader a crash course in literature.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book's content excellent, packed with tons of insight, and detailed chapters about what fiction may be or should be. They also say it has indelible shaped their writing, and is useful and current.
"...What this book will do:- Give you a good overview of fiction- Help you understand what fiction tries to accomplish, why, and how-..." Read more
"...from reading The Art of Fiction is that it gives the reader a crash course in literature, who many of us that come from a Science, Technical,..." Read more
"...His words are great for understanding the craft and the reason why somethings should be done and others shouldn't...." Read more
"...Gardner's voice is challenging, nurturing and extremely informative for those who have a passion to jump on the path for mastering the art of story..." Read more
Customers find the book clear, with lovely examples and details that help a beginning writer. They also appreciate the overall background and useful, constructive information on writing. However, some readers feel the book is wordy and academic, and high-browed.
"...Style and structure are covered, with especially good lessons on diction and proper sequencing of signals in the test..." Read more
"...It is clear, with lovely examples and details that help a beginning writer start their journey on the right pen stroke...." Read more
"...Lots of overall background and useful, constructive information on writing (it is a text book)." Read more
"Wordy and academic, high-browed. Just sit down and write." Read more
Customers find the book very dated and preachy.
"...He died in 1982. Book out in 83.So its dated. Its like watching a movie on TCM made in the 40s...." Read more
"...Plus, the author sounds too preachy & and its very dated...." Read more
"Difficult read. Very dated...." Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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Part II covers the common pitfalls and offers technical advice. Style and structure are covered, with especially good lessons on diction and proper sequencing of signals in the test (stimulus, involuntary reaction, voluntary reaction--which may be thought of as cause & effect and is explained in greater depth in Dwight V. Swain's book as Motivation-Reaction Units), with solid explanations for why mistakes here harm the fictional dream and why it is important to get it right. Also covered are the "clumsy writing" mistakes such as characters looking in mirrors to shoehorn description into the text, as well as melodrama, which relies on cheap sleight of hand in writing as opposed to real drama. I loved the section on vocabulary, which explained the problem with writing-by-thesaurus while emphasizing the importance of expanding ordinary vocabulary that include more uncommon words (such as technical architectural terms like "lintel," which, while uncommon, are a benefit to writing) as well as brand names.
What this book will do:
- Give you a good overview of fiction
- Help you understand what fiction tries to accomplish, why, and how
- Explain the common clumsy mistakes and how to avoid them
- Provide you exercises
- Entertain you with Gardner's engaging writing voice (so it doesn't feel like a manual)
What this book won't do:
- Help you understand nonfiction and how to write it
- Cover the common mistakes in-depth
- Give you genre-specific advice
- Cover anything related to self-publishing
- Explain the business of writing
- Take the place of critiquers, beta readers, or editors
This is a great intro to writing craft book. It should, at the very least, help you understand what you're trying to do and identify your weaknesses so that you may find more narrowly tailored resources to help you. I find myself referring to the passages I highlighted quite often, both in the paperback and the Kindle version.
FWIW, the Kindle version is now searchable. When I first bought it, it was not. The search function is a *great* help.
What can be said about Gardner that hasn't been said yet? One of the best books on writing about writing that I have read. Comparable to Stephen King's, On Writing. Yes, it is that good. In Part I Gardner lays out a compelling treatise about the genre of fiction, what it is and why it is important. In Part II he discusses the how-to of writing good fiction, where he talks about common errors, technique and plotting at length. One of the benefits from reading The Art of Fiction is that it gives the reader a crash course in literature, who many of us that come from a Science, Technical, Engineering and Math (STEM) background are sorely lacking in. This said a writer who has grown up in the sciences, or engineering, or business worlds will find this book very useful in "catching up" a bit to our friends who have read all of classics and can retell significant scenes as though they were there. Again, this is a must (must) read for ALL writers, not just fiction writers.
What's still current in this book and is the most relevant, is how he explains the art of writing. This book is not a how to write instruction book, but more the why one writes and should write in the way he explains. I don't agree with everything he writes, but I understand what he tries to say.
I'm much a different writer than him. He was a literary writer and I'm a genre writer. He had not that a high of opinion of genre writers. Still the approach of writing may be different, but what he says about the art of writing is important for all writers that they should at least take notice of it. Your work needs to be made in the best possible way you can create it, without trying to cut corners or settle for less. His words are great for understanding the craft and the reason why somethings should be done and others shouldn't.
I advise this book to all that want to learn more about writing fiction in itself, if it's an instruction book you want, you be best picking up another book.
A.Rosaria, Author of "Finitum"
Top reviews from other countries
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Gardner stresses the importance of crafting prose that resonates with readers, using well-chosen words and sentences, effectively conveying emotions and ideas.
He also encourages the continual expansion of vocabulary to enrich storytelling, such as learning some new languages. In addition, Gardner provides practical insights into crafting compelling climaxes.
At the end of the book, he includes exercises for readers to practice and improve their writing skills.
Overall, The Art of Fiction is a valuable resource for writers of all levels, offering accessible advice to help them refine their craft.
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