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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.3
EAN num: 9780679734031
ISBN number: 0679734031
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 240
Printing Date: June 04, 1991
Publishing house: Vintage
Release Date: June 04, 1991
Sale Popularity Level: 13825
Studio: Vintage
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'John Gardner was famous for his generosity to young writers, and (this book) is his . . . gift to them. The Art of Fiction 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.'--The New York Times Book Review.
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Rated by buyers 
-
First for the bad. The entire very first half of the book was filled with opinion stated as fact in his over-confident manner that is painful to read through. There was very little of value in that very first half - in fact, I'd recommend skipping it if you do purchase the book.
Second - the good. The second half was extremely valuable and informative. It gave me several aspects of writing I hadn't given much consideration to a new light. I do recommend the book for this alone. His condescending let up almost entirely and Gardner actually shared the knowledge he had on the subject.
Rated by buyers 
-
Even though the title says it's aimed at new writers, seasoned pros can greatly benefit from this book. I have been writing for many years, published a novel, etc. Wish I had read it sooner!
Rated by buyers -
The Art of Fiction is John Gardner's book on how young writers can improve their fiction writing. This book is divided into two sections: the very first covers literary theory, and the second deals with technique, errors, and plotting.
Gardner, who was a teacher as well as an author, is extremely high-minded. He sets very high standards for writing, which is good. But he's one of those people who thinks you need to take college courses in Shakespeare in order to appreciate Shakespeare. His instructions on writing naturally and not trying to write above yourself often come across as pretentious and hypocritical, as he gets pretty pretentious himself from time to time.
So many talented writers who didn't study literature or fiction in a university may well throw out the very first half of the book, and that's fine. The second half, however, can be of benefit to most anyone. Gardner covers frequent errors, technique, and plotting, giving specific examples and explaining things well.
Gardner is obviously much more concerned with the Hemingways and Faulkners of the world than the Stephen Kings and Michael Crichtons. Fine; take this book for what it is. Separate the wheat from the chaff and The Art of Fiction has something to help most writers improve.
Rated by buyers -
This is one of those books that I liked because of its digressions, rather than in spite of them. Gardner has a formidable voice, and the occasionally wandering structure is bound together by the strictness of his tone. As I read, I could imagine him sitting in front of me-- rubbing his hands and paging through his notes as he spoke. I have the distinct feeling that he would not quite have approved of me.
Or most people for that matter. Somewhere amidst all the detail about writing, there are some strong and buried core messages. These center on the morality, courage and honesty of the aspiring writer. Gardner insists on head, heart and something else as well. He calls it soul; I am not sure what I call it. Will? Discipline? Ethics? Something like that.
I found a lot to chew over in the work. Some thoughts that I'm still considering:
nature of metafiction
role of honesty in fiction
faults of the soul: sentimentality, frigidity and mannerism
In addition, there are a number of useful points on technique and style that caused me to take some notes and ruefully reread more than a few paragraphs. I have to agree with most of these things without reservation. On the larger subjects, I still have some doubts about a few of his ideas-- particularly the places where he takes a harder line.
If you are planning to read this book, be aware that Gardner uses examples from literature and the visual arts to illustrate a number of his points. You either need to be reasonably well-read or be willing to read over these moments and trust to the text itself. I found that I got enough from the examples to see his point. I also added a number of books/authors to my reading list for further reference. I can imagine, however, if you have not read a lot of novels or short stories than it may feel frustrating to keep reading references that you do not understand. The average English Lit major or aficionado should do just fine.
Recommended.
Rated by buyers -
John Gardner let's you know in his preface that he is writing this book for the serious writer (who he defines as the literary writer), so my fellow sci fi and fantasy writers (genre), we are not his target audience. However, that does not mean we can not learn from him.
I do not recommend this to the writer who is beginning their journey. By beginning, I mean who has never written a novel-length manuscript (unpublished of course) or at least a novella. I think Gardner presents too much detail and too much content, and at this point in your journey you will probably be overwhelmed. I simply refer to the other reviewer comments who provide suitable alternatives for an introductory to fiction writing.
I have rated this book as highly as I did because if you can wade through the loquacious prose, the elongated tangential didactics,--which by page 50 gets to be annoying--the obvious pedagogical diction and the references to Faulkner, Melville, Gaas, and plenty other writers whom I've not read (out of cognizant choice--though they are clearly renown for a reason) there is so much to learn from his book. (This paragraph was meant as an example--and I'm being generous).
Take heart, he does reference more "popular" fiction: Spider Man, early comic books, and Sam Delaney (although briefly), so it's not a complete rebuff of fiction that sells.
Why I rec'd this book:
1) Because after writing a few manuscripts, I was able to see through Gardner's examples some of the mistakes that I make in my writing--this enough is worth the price of the book in my opinion.
2) Also, because I have reinterpreted his "serious" writer to mean someone who is dedicated to improving their writing skills. Simply put. If you are serious, then you are willing--albeit begrudgingly--to come out of your comfort zone and learn even from those who have a tendency to look down their nose at you (at least it's not in your face).
Examples of what I've learned:
1) Tales vs. Yarn vs. Realistic (and what voices are more commonly linked to each type of fictional story).
2) The importance of rhythm.
3) That a character's internal obstacles must be as compelling as his external ones (might seem like a no-brainer, but I guess not for me).
4) The vocab list that you get from reading his writing.
Lastly, while yes you can get most of the above from some of the other books on writing, you won't get the seriousness (dare I say abrasive truths) of what it means to be a writer and then what it takes to write well. This is not meant to be "inspiring" (so you won't be uplifted and told repeatedly throughout that "yes, you can write that novel"); it is meant to be eye-opening.
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