The Art of Fiction
Authors: David Lodge, David Lodge
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Overview
My book, The Art of Fiction, is a guided tour through the craft of writing novels. It’s aimed at ‘general readers’ who want to better understand and appreciate how fiction works, but it will also be of interest to aspiring writers. Using examples from classic and modern novels, I explore the nuts and bolts of storytelling, from how to hook the reader with a compelling beginning to the challenges of crafting a satisfying ending.
I dive into a range of techniques and devices, illuminating how authors create suspense, develop characters, evoke a sense of place, and manipulate time. I demystify critical terms like ‘intertextuality,’ ‘defamiliarization,’ and ‘the unreliable narrator,’ showing how they function in practice. I also examine the ways in which fiction has evolved over time, reflecting changes in society, culture, and literary fashion.
Through close readings and analysis, I reveal the art that lies beneath the surface of seemingly effortless storytelling. My aim is to enhance your reading pleasure by showing how much careful thought and craft goes into the creation of a successful novel, and to encourage you to see the world with a fresh perspective, attuned to the nuances of language and the complexities of human experience. Whether you’re a seasoned bookworm or a novice reader, I hope to deepen your understanding and appreciation of this most versatile and rewarding of literary forms.
Book Outline
1. Beginning
The way a novel begins is crucial for hooking the reader. The opening sentences establish the author’s tone and style, introduce key information and characters, and raise questions that pique the reader’s interest.
Key concept: The beginning of a novel is a threshold, separating the real world we inhabit from the world the novelist has imagined. It should therefore, as the phrase goes, “draw us in”.
2. The Intrusive Author
The ‘intrusive authorial voice’ – a narrator who directly addresses the reader, comments on the story, and offers their own opinions – was a common feature of classic fiction. However, modern fiction often prefers less intrusive narration, allowing the story to unfold more directly through the characters’ experiences.
Key concept: Around the turn of the century, however, the intrusive authorial voice fell into disfavour, partly because it detracts from realistic illusion and reduces the emotional intensity of the experience being represented, by calling attention to the act of narrating.
3. Suspense
Suspense is a fundamental element of storytelling. It keeps the reader engaged by raising questions about what will happen next and delaying the resolution of those questions.
Key concept: Novels are narratives, and narrative, whatever its medium – words, film, strip-cartoon – holds the interest of an audience by raising questions in their minds, and delaying the answers.
4. Teenage Skaz
‘Skaz’ is a narrative technique that mimics the spontaneous, colloquial style of spoken language. It can create a sense of authenticity and immediacy, but requires careful crafting to sound natural and engaging.
Key concept: Skaz is a rather appealing Russian word (suggesting “jazz” and “scat”, as in “scat-singing”, to the English ear) used to designate a type of first-person narration that has the characteristics of the spoken rather than the written word.
5. The Epistolary Novel
The epistolary novel, written in the form of letters, offers a unique way to present multiple perspectives on the same events and to explore the complex dynamics of communication.
Key concept: The same effect can of course be obtained by using the form of a journal, but the epistolary novel has two additional advantages. Firstly, you can have more than one correspondent, and thus show the same event from different points of view, with quite different interpretations … Secondly, even if you limit yourself … to one writer, a letter, unlike a journal, is always addressed to a specific addressee, whose anticipated response conditions the discourse, and makes it rhetorically more complex, interesting and obliquely revealing.
6. Point of View
The choice of point of view – who tells the story and how – is a crucial decision for a novelist. It shapes the reader’s understanding of the characters, their motivations, and the events that unfold.
Key concept: A real event may be – and usually is – experienced by more than one person, simultaneously. A novel can provide different perspectives on the same event – but only one at a time.
7. Mystery
Mysteries and enigmas are powerful drivers of narrative interest. Traditional mystery stories offer the satisfaction of a resolved puzzle, while modern literary fiction often uses mystery to explore ambiguity and uncertainty.
Key concept: A solved mystery is ultimately reassuring to readers, asserting the triumph of reason over instinct, of order over anarchy … Modern literary novelists, in contrast, wary of neat solutions and happy endings, have tended to invest their mysteries with an aura of ambiguity and to leave them unresolved.
8. Names
Names in a novel are never neutral – they carry connotations and associations that shape our understanding of the characters and the story. Authors choose names carefully to suggest aspects of personality, social status, and even thematic concerns.
Key concept: One of the fundamental principles of structuralism is “the arbitrariness of the sign”, the idea that there is no necessary, existential connection between a word and its referent.
9. The Stream of Consciousness
The ‘stream of consciousness’ technique aims to capture the fluid, fragmented, and often illogical nature of our thoughts. It can be rendered through interior monologue, where we directly ‘hear’ a character’s thoughts, or through free indirect style, which blends the character’s voice with that of the narrator.
Key concept: “The stream of consciousness” was a phrase coined by William James, psychologist brother of the novelist, Henry, to characterize the continuous flow of thought and sensation in the human mind.
10. Interior Monologue
Interior monologue, a technique where the reader directly ‘hears’ a character’s thoughts, can be challenging to use effectively. It requires careful selection and crafting of detail, and often works best in combination with other narrative techniques.
Key concept: Interior monologue is indeed a very difficult technique to use successfully, all too apt to impose a painfully slow pace on the narrative and to bore the reader with a plethora of trivial detail.
11. Defamiliarization
‘Defamiliarization’ is a technique for making the familiar seem strange, for refreshing our perception of the everyday world by presenting it in an unexpected way. This can be achieved by describing things in minute detail, by using unusual metaphors or similes, or by disrupting conventional expectations.
Key concept: Defamiliarization is the usual English translation of ostranenie (literally, “making strange”), another of those invaluable critical terms coined by the Russian Formalists.
12. The Sense of Place
The sense of place is crucial in fiction, transporting the reader to a specific location and shaping their experience of the story. Effective descriptions of place go beyond merely visual details, evoking atmosphere, mood, and even social and cultural significance.
Key concept: As will be evident to the reader by now, my division of the art of fiction into various “aspects” is somewhat artificial. Effects in fiction are plural and interconnected, each drawing on and contributing to all the others.
13. Lists
Lists may seem out of place in fiction, but they can be surprisingly effective. They can convey a sense of abundance, detail, or even chaos, and can be used to create ironic or humorous effects.
Key concept: It also illustrates the expressive potential of the list in fictional discourse. On the face of it, a mere catalogue of discrete items would seem to be out of place in a story focused on character and action. But fictional prose is wonderfully omnivorous, capable of assimilating all kinds of nonfictional discourse – letters, diaries, depositions, even lists – and adapting them to its own purposes.
14. Introducing a Character
Characters are the lifeblood of fiction, and there are many ways to introduce them. Modern novelists often prefer to let the facts about a character emerge gradually through their actions and dialogue, rather than through lengthy descriptions or authorial summaries.
Key concept: The simplest way to introduce a character, common in older fiction, is to give a physical description and biographical summary.
15. Surprise
Surprise is essential for keeping the reader engaged, but it must be carefully prepared for and rendered convincingly.
Key concept: Most narratives contain an element of surprise. If we can predict every twist in a plot, we are unlikely to be gripped by it.
16. Time-Shift
Time-shift – moving back and forth in time – is a common technique in modern fiction. It allows authors to create complex and multi-layered narratives that explore the interplay of past, present, and future.
Key concept: Through time-shift, narrative avoids presenting life as just one damn thing after another, and allows us to make connections of causality and irony between widely separated events.
17. The Reader in the Text
The use of a ‘narratee’ – a fictionalized reader within the text – is a way for authors to directly address their audience, comment on the story, and shape the reader’s experience.
Key concept: Every novel must have a narrator, however impersonal, but not necessarily a narratee. The narratee is any evocation of, or surrogate for, the reader of the novel within the text itself.
18. Weather
Weather can be more than just background in fiction – it can be used to create atmosphere, foreshadow events, and even reflect the emotional states of the characters.
Key concept: We all know that the weather affects our moods. The novelist is in the happy position of being able to invent whatever weather is appropriate to the mood he or she wants to evoke.
19. Repetition
Repetition of words or phrases can be used for a variety of effects in fiction, from emphasizing key themes to creating a hypnotic rhythm or mimicking the patterns of thought.
Key concept: Needless to say, repetition is not necessarily linked to a bleakly positivist, anti-metaphysical representation of life such as we find in Hemingway. It is also a characteristic feature of religious and mystical writing, and is used by novelists whose work tends in that direction – D. H. Lawrence, for instance.
20. Fancy Prose
‘Fancy prose’ – language that is highly stylized and self-consciously literary – can be very effective when used skillfully. It can be used to create a sense of beauty, elegance, or even humor, but it requires a careful balance of artistry and restraint.
Key concept: The golden rule of fictional prose is that there are no rules – except the ones that each writer sets for him or herself.
21. Intertextuality
‘Intertextuality’ refers to the way texts connect with and draw upon other texts, through allusion, parody, or direct quotation. It enriches the meaning of a text by creating layers of resonance and reminding us that all stories are part of a larger cultural conversation.
Key concept: There are many ways by which one text can refer to another: parody, pastiche, echo, allusion, direct quotation, structural parallelism. Some theorists believe that intertextuality is the very condition of literature, that all texts are woven from the tissues of other texts, whether their authors know it or not.
22. The Experimental Novel
The ‘experimental novel’ deliberately breaks with conventions of form and style to challenge the reader’s expectations and offer new ways of perceiving reality.
Key concept: “The experimental novel” was a phrase coined by Zola to claim some equivalence between his sociologically oriented fiction and scientific investigation of the natural world, but this comparison will not stand up to scrutiny. A work of fiction is not a reliable method of verifying or falsifying a hypothesis about society, and “experiment” in literature, as in other arts, is more usefully regarded as a radical approach to the perennial task of “defamiliarization” (see Section 11).
23. The Comic Novel
Humor in fiction can arise from a variety of sources, including incongruous situations, witty dialogue, and the unexpected or delayed revelation of information. Timing is crucial for creating comic effects.
Key concept: Comedy in fiction would appear to have two primary sources, though they are intimately connected: situation (which entails character – a situation that is comic for one character wouldn’t necessarily be so for another) and style. Both depend crucially upon timing, that is to say, the order in which the words, and the information they carry, are arranged.
24. Magic Realism
‘Magic realism’ blends realistic detail with fantastical events, often to explore the complexities of history, politics, and personal experience. It challenges the boundaries between the real and the imagined, inviting us to see the world in new ways.
Key concept: Magic realism – when marvellous and impossible events occur in what otherwise purports to be a realistic narrative – is an effect especially associated with contemporary Latin-American fiction … but it is also encountered in novels from other continents, such as those of Günter Grass, Salman Rushdie and Milan Kundera.
25. Staying on the Surface
Staying on the surface of a story, avoiding psychological analysis or authorial commentary, can be an effective way to create a sense of detachment, ambiguity, and even irony. It throws the burden of interpretation back onto the reader.
Key concept: By staying on the surface of behavior and environment, the discourse of the novel imitates this bleak, anti-humanist philosophy of life in a way which seems to satirize it, yet gives the reader no privileged vantage-point from which to condemn or dismiss it.
26. Showing and Telling
Authors have a choice between ‘showing’ events directly through dialogue and action, and ‘telling’ us about them through summary and description. The balance between showing and telling affects the pace and focus of the narrative.
Key concept: Fictional discourse constantly alternates between showing us what happened and telling us what happened.
27. Telling in Different Voices
Novelistic discourse is often ‘polyphonic’, incorporating a variety of different voices and styles to create a rich and dynamic texture. This allows the novel to explore multiple perspectives, challenge conventional ways of thinking, and engage in a dialogue with the broader culture.
Key concept: Probably one should describe this kind of writing as “pastiche” rather than parody, or use Bakhtin’s own term, “stylization”. His categorization of the various levels of speech in novelistic discourse is complex, but the basic point is simple: the language of the novel is not a language, but a medley of styles and voices, and it is this which makes it a supremely democratic, anti-totalitarian literary form, in which no ideological or moral position is immune from challenge and contradiction.
28. A Sense of the Past
Evoking a sense of the past in fiction presents unique challenges. Authors must not only accurately represent historical details, but also find ways to make the past feel vivid and engaging for a contemporary audience.
Key concept: The recent past has remained a favourite subject for novelists up to the present day … But there is a great difference between doing that, and writing about life in a previous century, especially when that life has already been memorably described by its own contemporaries.
30. Symbolism
Symbolism can be a powerful tool in fiction, allowing authors to suggest complex ideas and emotions through concrete images and actions. However, it must be used carefully to avoid becoming heavy-handed or allegorical.
Key concept: Somebody once said, however, that the novelist should make his spade a spade before he makes it a symbol, and this would seem to be good advice for a writer who is aiming to create anything like the “illusion of life”.
31. Allegory
Allegory is a type of narrative in which characters and events represent abstract ideas or moral qualities. It is often used in didactic or satirical fables.
Key concept: Allegory is a specialized form of symbolic narrative, which does not merely suggest something beyond its literal meaning, but insists on being decoded in terms of another meaning.
32. Epiphany
An ‘epiphany’ is a moment of sudden insight or revelation, often triggered by a seemingly ordinary event. It can mark a turning point in a character’s life or simply illuminate a hidden truth about the world.
Key concept: An epiphany is, literally, a showing. In Christian terminology it denotes the showing of the infant Jesus to the three Magi.
33. Coincidence
Coincidence – the unexpected occurrence of meaningful events – can be a powerful structural device in fiction, but it must be used judiciously to avoid undermining the narrative’s credibility.
Key concept: There is always a trade-off in the writing of fiction between the achievement of structure, pattern and closure on the one hand, and the imitation of life’s randomness, inconsequentiality and openness on the other.
34. The Unreliable Narrator
An ‘unreliable narrator’ is a character whose account of events cannot be fully trusted. Their biases, misperceptions, or deliberate deceptions create a layer of irony and challenge the reader to discern the truth.
Key concept: Unreliable narrators are invariably invented characters who are part of the stories they tell. An unreliable “omniscient” narrator is almost a contradiction in terms, and could only occur in a very deviant, experimental text.
35. The Exotic
The ‘exotic’ in fiction refers to the representation of foreign cultures and locations. It often involves a clash of values and perceptions, highlighting the differences and similarities between ‘us’ and ‘them’.
Key concept: The exotic in fiction is the mediation of an “abroad” to an audience assumed to be located at “home”.
36. Chapters etc.
Chapters, and other textual divisions, are not merely arbitrary breaks in the narrative flow – they can be used to create a variety of effects, from marking transitions to heightening suspense.
Key concept: We tend to take the division of novels into chapters for granted, as if it were as natural and inevitable as the division of the discourse into sentences and paragraphs. But of course it is not.
37. The Telephone
The telephone, which isolates the human voice from other aspects of communication, offers unique opportunities for creating dramatic and comic effects in fiction.
Key concept: The telephone is so familiar and ubiquitous a feature of modern life that we easily forget how unnatural it would have seemed, to previous ages, to speak and listen without being able to see or touch.
38. Surrealism
‘Surrealism’ is a literary and artistic movement that aims to express the workings of the unconscious mind through dreamlike imagery, unexpected juxtapositions, and the subversion of logic and reason.
Key concept: Surrealism is better known and easier to define in the visual arts than in literature: Dali, Duchamp, Magritte and Ernst are well-established figures in the history of modern art. But there was a literary branch to the movement, which evolved in the nineteen-twenties and thirties out of earlier modernist and Dadaist experiments.
39. Irony
Irony, a subtle and pervasive feature of fiction, involves a gap between appearance and reality, between what is said and what is meant. It can be used to create humor, pathos, or a sense of ambiguity and uncertainty.
Key concept: In rhetoric, irony consists of saying the opposite of what you mean, or inviting an interpretation different from the surface meaning of your words.
40. Motivation
‘Motivation’ in fiction refers to the reasons behind a character’s actions. It is a crucial element of realism, aiming to convince the reader that the characters act in a psychologically plausible way.
Key concept: What kind of knowledge do we hope to derive from reading novels, which tell us stories we know are not “true”? One traditional answer to that question is: knowledge of the human heart, or mind.
41. Duration
‘Duration’ refers to the relationship between the time events take up in the story and the time it takes to read about them. It affects the narrative tempo, the sense of whether the novel is fast-moving or slow-moving.
Key concept: In Section 16 I discussed chronology, and its possible rearrangement, in fiction. Another aspect of fictional time is duration, as measured by comparing the time events would have taken up in reality with the time taken to read about them.
42. Implication
‘Implication’ is a technique for suggesting meaning indirectly, leaving gaps and silences for the reader to fill. It can be used to create a sense of intimacy, ambiguity, or even complicity between author and reader.
Key concept: A truly exhaustive description of any event is impossible; from which it follows that all novels contain gaps and silences which the reader must fill, in order to “produce the text” (as poststructuralist critics say).
43. The Title
The title of a novel is not just a label – it is an integral part of the text, shaping the reader’s expectations and offering clues to the novel’s meaning.
Key concept: The title a novel is part of the text – the first put of it, in fact, that we encounter – and therefore has considerable power to attract and condition the reader’s attention.
44. Ideas
The ‘novel of ideas’ is a genre that explicitly explores philosophical, political, or social issues. It can be challenging to make such a novel both intellectually stimulating and dramatically engaging.
Key concept: The term “novel of ideas” usually suggests a book light on narrative interest, in which abnormally articulate characters bat philosophical questions back and forth between themselves, with brief intervals for eating, drinking and flirtation.
45. The Non-Fiction Novel
The ‘non-fiction novel’ blends journalistic techniques with novelistic storytelling to create a compelling narrative based on real events. It raises questions about the relationship between truth and fiction, and the ethics of representing real people and events.
Key concept: The “non-fiction novel” is a term originally coined by Truman Capote to describe his In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences (1966).
46. Metafiction
‘Metafiction’ is fiction that self-consciously reflects on its own status as a fictional construct. It can be used to explore the nature of storytelling, the relationship between art and reality, and the limits of language.
Key concept: Metafiction is fiction about fiction: novels and stories that call attention to their fictional status and their own compositional procedures.
47. The Uncanny
The ‘uncanny’ in fiction refers to events that are strange, unsettling, and difficult to explain. It often involves a blurring of the boundaries between the real and the imagined, creating a sense of unease and uncertainty.
Key concept: An example of the fantastic in this sense is Henry James’s famous ghost story The Turn of the Screw.
48. Narrative Structure
‘Narrative structure’ refers to the way a story is organized and shaped. It involves decisions about plot, point of view, chronology, and other elements that contribute to the overall effect of the narrative.
Key concept: The structure of a narrative is like the framework of girders that holds up a modern high-rise building: you can’t see it, but it determines the edifice’s shape and character.
49. Aporia
‘Aporia’ is a rhetorical device that expresses doubt or uncertainty, often in the form of an impasse or unresolved question. It can be used to create a sense of ambiguity, open-endedness, or even existential despair.
Key concept: Aporia is a Greek word meaning “difficulty, being at a loss”, literally, “a pathless path”, a track that gives out.
50. Ending
Endings are notoriously difficult for novelists, who must find a satisfying way to resolve the narrative questions they have raised, while also leaving the reader with a sense of closure or, in some cases, a lingering sense of mystery or possibility.
Key concept: “Conclusions are the weak points of most authors,” George Eliot remarked, “but some of the fault lies in the very nature of a conclusion, which is at best a negation.”
Essential Questions
1. What is the central argument of The Art of Fiction, and what is the author’s main purpose in writing the book?
The central argument of the book is that effective fiction writing relies on a combination of technical skill and creative intuition. Lodge argues that writers can learn to control and manipulate various narrative elements – point of view, suspense, symbolism, etc. – to achieve their desired effects. He explores these elements through a series of short essays, each focused on a specific technique or device, using illustrative excerpts from canonical and contemporary fiction. Lodge’s purpose is to demystify the craft of writing, showing how seemingly ‘magical’ effects are achieved through careful planning and execution. He aims to equip readers with a deeper understanding of how fiction works, ultimately enhancing their appreciation of the art form.
2. Who is the target audience for The Art of Fiction?
The target audience of The Art of Fiction is broadly defined as the ‘general reader’ – anyone with an interest in understanding and appreciating fiction. However, the book is particularly valuable for aspiring writers. Lodge’s clear explanations and practical examples offer a solid foundation for developing one’s craft. The book can also be useful for students of literature, providing insights into the techniques and strategies used by novelists.
3. What are some of the key insights Lodge offers into the nature of fiction writing?
Lodge emphasizes that a novel is more than just a story – it is a complex and carefully crafted work of art. He argues that effective fiction writing relies on mastering a range of technical skills, such as controlling point of view, building suspense, and using symbolism effectively. He also highlights the importance of finding one’s own voice and style, and of being aware of the ways in which a novel’s structure and form shape its meaning. Ultimately, Lodge suggests that great fiction transcends mere entertainment, offering profound insights into human nature and the complexities of life.
1. What is the central argument of The Art of Fiction, and what is the author’s main purpose in writing the book?
The central argument of the book is that effective fiction writing relies on a combination of technical skill and creative intuition. Lodge argues that writers can learn to control and manipulate various narrative elements – point of view, suspense, symbolism, etc. – to achieve their desired effects. He explores these elements through a series of short essays, each focused on a specific technique or device, using illustrative excerpts from canonical and contemporary fiction. Lodge’s purpose is to demystify the craft of writing, showing how seemingly ‘magical’ effects are achieved through careful planning and execution. He aims to equip readers with a deeper understanding of how fiction works, ultimately enhancing their appreciation of the art form.
2. Who is the target audience for The Art of Fiction?
The target audience of The Art of Fiction is broadly defined as the ‘general reader’ – anyone with an interest in understanding and appreciating fiction. However, the book is particularly valuable for aspiring writers. Lodge’s clear explanations and practical examples offer a solid foundation for developing one’s craft. The book can also be useful for students of literature, providing insights into the techniques and strategies used by novelists.
3. What are some of the key insights Lodge offers into the nature of fiction writing?
Lodge emphasizes that a novel is more than just a story – it is a complex and carefully crafted work of art. He argues that effective fiction writing relies on mastering a range of technical skills, such as controlling point of view, building suspense, and using symbolism effectively. He also highlights the importance of finding one’s own voice and style, and of being aware of the ways in which a novel’s structure and form shape its meaning. Ultimately, Lodge suggests that great fiction transcends mere entertainment, offering profound insights into human nature and the complexities of life.
Key Takeaways
1. The Importance of a Strong Beginning
The initial pages of a novel are crucial for capturing the reader’s attention and setting the tone for the story. Lodge highlights the importance of a strong opening that establishes the author’s style, introduces key information, and raises questions that pique the reader’s curiosity.
Practical Application:
In product design, understanding the user’s journey and anticipating their needs is crucial. By crafting the onboarding experience as a compelling narrative, with carefully chosen touchpoints and moments of surprise or delight, you can effectively guide the user towards successful adoption of the product.
2. Clarity and Precision in Language
Lodge champions clear, concise, and impactful prose. While he recognizes the value of ‘fancy prose,’ he cautions against over-reliance on stylistic flourishes. He emphasizes the importance of choosing words carefully for their precise meaning and impact, and of crafting sentences that flow smoothly and logically.
Practical Application:
In team meetings or presentations, avoiding jargon and technical language can make complex ideas more accessible to a wider audience. By using clear and concise language, and by incorporating relatable examples and analogies, you can effectively communicate your message and engage your listeners.
3. The Author as Architect
Lodge challenges the notion that a novel is a mere reflection of reality. He emphasizes the author’s role in shaping the narrative, in choosing what to include and exclude, in controlling point of view, and in manipulating time and events to achieve their desired effects.
Practical Application:
When designing AI systems, it is crucial to consider the potential for unintended consequences and biases. Just as a novelist carefully crafts a narrative, AI engineers must be mindful of the ethical implications of their creations and strive to ensure fairness and accountability.
1. The Importance of a Strong Beginning
The initial pages of a novel are crucial for capturing the reader’s attention and setting the tone for the story. Lodge highlights the importance of a strong opening that establishes the author’s style, introduces key information, and raises questions that pique the reader’s curiosity.
Practical Application:
In product design, understanding the user’s journey and anticipating their needs is crucial. By crafting the onboarding experience as a compelling narrative, with carefully chosen touchpoints and moments of surprise or delight, you can effectively guide the user towards successful adoption of the product.
2. Clarity and Precision in Language
Lodge champions clear, concise, and impactful prose. While he recognizes the value of ‘fancy prose,’ he cautions against over-reliance on stylistic flourishes. He emphasizes the importance of choosing words carefully for their precise meaning and impact, and of crafting sentences that flow smoothly and logically.
Practical Application:
In team meetings or presentations, avoiding jargon and technical language can make complex ideas more accessible to a wider audience. By using clear and concise language, and by incorporating relatable examples and analogies, you can effectively communicate your message and engage your listeners.
3. The Author as Architect
Lodge challenges the notion that a novel is a mere reflection of reality. He emphasizes the author’s role in shaping the narrative, in choosing what to include and exclude, in controlling point of view, and in manipulating time and events to achieve their desired effects.
Practical Application:
When designing AI systems, it is crucial to consider the potential for unintended consequences and biases. Just as a novelist carefully crafts a narrative, AI engineers must be mindful of the ethical implications of their creations and strive to ensure fairness and accountability.
Suggested Deep Dive
Chapter: Point of View
This chapter is particularly relevant for AI engineers because it emphasizes the importance of perspective and how it shapes our understanding of information. When designing AI systems, understanding how different perspectives influence the interpretation of data is crucial for ensuring fairness and minimizing bias.
Memorable Quotes
Beginning. 17
When does a novel begin? The question is almost as difficult to answer as the question, when does the human embryo become a person?
Teenage Skaz. 31
Needless to say, this is an illusion, the product of much calculated effort and painstaking rewriting by the ‘real’ author. A narrative style that faithfully imitated actual speech would be virtually unintelligible, as are transcripts of recorded conversations.
Defamiliarization. 53
And art exists that one may recover the sensation of life; it exists to make one feel things, to make the stony stony. The purpose of art is to impart the sensation of things as they are perceived and not as they are known.
Intertextuality. 98
There are many ways by which one text can refer to another: parody, pastiche, echo, allusion, direct quotation, structural parallelism. Some theorists believe that intertextuality is the very condition of literature, that all texts are woven from the tissues of other texts, whether their authors know it or not.
Metafiction. 215
Metafiction is fiction about fiction: novels and stories that call attention to their fictional status and their own compositional procedures.
Beginning. 17
When does a novel begin? The question is almost as difficult to answer as the question, when does the human embryo become a person?
Teenage Skaz. 31
Needless to say, this is an illusion, the product of much calculated effort and painstaking rewriting by the ‘real’ author. A narrative style that faithfully imitated actual speech would be virtually unintelligible, as are transcripts of recorded conversations.
Defamiliarization. 53
And art exists that one may recover the sensation of life; it exists to make one feel things, to make the stony stony. The purpose of art is to impart the sensation of things as they are perceived and not as they are known.
Intertextuality. 98
There are many ways by which one text can refer to another: parody, pastiche, echo, allusion, direct quotation, structural parallelism. Some theorists believe that intertextuality is the very condition of literature, that all texts are woven from the tissues of other texts, whether their authors know it or not.
Metafiction. 215
Metafiction is fiction about fiction: novels and stories that call attention to their fictional status and their own compositional procedures.
Comparative Analysis
Compared to other books on writing fiction, such as Stephen King’s On Writing or E.M. Forster’s Aspects of the Novel, Lodge’s Art of Fiction distinguishes itself by its structured approach. It analyzes specific elements of fiction in discrete chapters, making it an excellent resource for both novice and experienced writers seeking to refine their craft. While King offers a more autobiographical and anecdotal approach, and Forster focuses on broader novelistic concepts, Lodge provides practical insights and clear definitions of literary techniques, grounding his analysis in carefully chosen examples. This makes The Art of Fiction a highly accessible and instructive guide to the craft of writing.
Reflection
As an AI product engineer, you might find Lodge’s insights on character motivation and narrative structure particularly relevant. In building intelligent systems, understanding how to create characters with believable motivations and compelling storylines could be crucial for fostering user engagement. Similarly, the concept of ‘defamiliarization’ – making the familiar seem strange – could be applied to user interface design, prompting users to see things in a new light and enhancing their experience. While Lodge focuses primarily on traditional literary fiction, his analyses offer valuable lessons for anyone involved in storytelling and narrative design. However, it’s important to note that Lodge’s perspective is rooted in a literary tradition that predates the digital age. While his insights on human nature and the fundamentals of storytelling remain timeless, they should be considered in light of the unique challenges and opportunities presented by new technologies and platforms. As AI evolves and plays an increasingly central role in shaping our experiences, understanding the art of fiction – the power of narrative to engage, persuade, and illuminate – will be more important than ever.
Flashcards
What is Skaz?
A type of first-person narration that mimics the spontaneous, colloquial style of spoken language.
What is Defamiliarization?
A technique for making the familiar seem strange, for refreshing our perception of the everyday world by presenting it in an unexpected way.
What is Intertextuality?
Refers to the way texts connect with and draw upon other texts, through allusion, parody, or direct quotation.
What is an Epiphany?
A moment of sudden insight or revelation, often triggered by a seemingly ordinary event.
What is Allegory?
A type of narrative in which characters and events represent abstract ideas or moral qualities.
What is an Unreliable Narrator?
A character whose account of events cannot be fully trusted.
What is Metafiction?
Fiction that self-consciously reflects on its own status as a fictional construct.
What is Aporia?
A rhetorical device that expresses doubt or uncertainty, often in the form of an impasse or unresolved question.
What is Skaz?
A type of first-person narration that mimics the spontaneous, colloquial style of spoken language.
What is Defamiliarization?
A technique for making the familiar seem strange, for refreshing our perception of the everyday world by presenting it in an unexpected way.
What is Intertextuality?
Refers to the way texts connect with and draw upon other texts, through allusion, parody, or direct quotation.
What is an Epiphany?
A moment of sudden insight or revelation, often triggered by a seemingly ordinary event.
What is Allegory?
A type of narrative in which characters and events represent abstract ideas or moral qualities.
What is an Unreliable Narrator?
A character whose account of events cannot be fully trusted.
What is Metafiction?
Fiction that self-consciously reflects on its own status as a fictional construct.
What is Aporia?
A rhetorical device that expresses doubt or uncertainty, often in the form of an impasse or unresolved question.