How Fiction Works: (Tenth Anniversary Edition) Updated and Expanded

How Fiction Works: (Tenth Anniversary Edition) Updated and Expanded

<p><b>10th anniversary revised edition with new Introduction </b></p><p><i>How Fiction Works</i> is a scintillating study of the magic of fiction―an analysis of its main elements and a celebration of its lasting power. Here one of the most prominent and stylish critics of our time looks into the machinery of storytelling to ask some fundamental questions: What do we mean when we say we "know" a fictional character? What constitutes a telling detail? When is a metaphor successful? Is Realism realistic? Why do some literary conventions become dated while others stay fresh?</p><p>James Wood ranges widely, from Homer to <i>Make Way for Ducklings</i>, from the Bible to John le Carré, and his book is both a study of the techniques of fiction-making and an alternative history of the novel. Playful and profound, <i>How Fiction Works</i> will be enlightening to writers, readers, and anyone else interested in what happens on the page.</p>