Skip to content
Scan a barcode
Scan
Added to your cart
Paperback The Art of Fiction: Illustrated from Classic and Modern Texts Book

ISBN: 0140174923

ISBN13: 9780140174922

The Art of Fiction: Illustrated from Classic and Modern Texts

The articles with which David Lodge entertained and enlightened readers of the Independent on Sunday and The Washington Post are now revised, expanded and collected together in book form. The art of fiction is considered under a wide range of headings, such as the Intrusive Author, Suspense, the Epistolary Novel, Time-shift, Magical Realism and Symbolism, and each topic is illustrated by a passage or two taken 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, David Lodge makes accessible to the general reader the richness and variety of British and American fiction. Technical terms, such as Interior Monologue, Metafiction, Intertextuality and the Unreliable Narrator, are lucidly explained and their application demonstrated. Bringing to criticism the verve and humour of his own novels, David Lodge has provided essential reading for students of literature, aspirant writers, and anyone who wishes to understand how literature works. This description may be from another edition of this product.

Recommended

Format: Paperback

Temporarily Unavailable

10 people are interested in this title.

We receive fewer than 1 copy every 6 months.

Related Subjects

Fiction Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews

1 customer rating | 1 review

Rated 5 stars
Exactly What I Have Been Looking For

Unfortunately, I was never able to take very many literature classes in university, and as a result, I have always felt that Literature was my Achilles Heel. Well, recently I have began writing some fiction of my own and I was looking for a concise, read-able pocket guide to literary concepts. This book definitely delivers all that. Written originally as series of articles for The Independent, Lodge begins each chapter with...

1Report

Rated 4 stars
An enjoyable non-pedantic reader's guide to literary principles

"The Art of Fiction", not surprisingly, is a popular title. In addition to this entry by David Lodge, identically titled works (albeit with different sub-titles after the seemingly ubiquitous colon) are available from John Gardner and Ayn Rand (in her case, one more example I suppose that "art" is in the eye of the beholder). I gather that the Gardner and Rand volumes are along the lines of "how-to" manuals for aspiring...

1Report

Rated 4 stars
An enjoyable non-pedantic reader's guide to literary principles

"The Art of Fiction", not surprisingly, is a popular title. In addition to this entry by David Lodge, identically entitled works (albeit with different sub-titles after the seemingly ubiquitous colon) are available from John Gardner and Ayn Rand (in her case, one more example I suppose that "art" is in the eye of the beholder). I gather that the Gardner and Rand volumes are along the lines of "how-to" manuals for aspiring...

0Report

Rated 5 stars
This book is a delight.

I discovered this book 3 or 4 years ago and have read it at least three times -- parts of it more often than that. I use it as one of several texts in creative writing workshops. Lodge's essays are witty, engaging and smart, and the brief excerpts at the beginning of each chapter are wonderful for "mirroring" exercises. My students enjoy the book as much as I do, and all seem to learn quite a bit from it.

1Report

Rated 4 stars
lovely but superficial introduction to some great books

This book offers a highly digestible introduction to how fiction works and tempts the reader with some great exerpts from (modern) classics. It's also a nice opportunity to look at literature through the eyes of a professional, both at studying and practicing writing.

1Report

Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
GoDaddy Verified and Secured