false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1159410935m/1981.jpg 1981 4 In 1958, a year after the publication of <I>Atlas Shrugged</I>, Ayn Rand gathered a group of student readers and writers in her living room for a series of 12 four-hour lectures about fiction. <I>The Art of Fiction</I> evolved from that course. Though Rand's <I>Romantic Manifesto</I> was also partly based on the same lecture series, this book omits (for the most part) Rand's discussions of other art forms. Its gist is a case for fiction that is "Romantic" (deriving from a belief in free will) rather than "Naturalistic" (allowing for fate).<p> It is hard to be ambivalent about Ayn Rand. Rand spoke in absolutes, and either you buy it or you don't. There is plenty of fiber and nutritious material in this book, but the Rand agnostic may find it hard to digest. Rand's ego is enormous and her dismissiveness petty most every step of the way. "In regard to precision of language," says Rand, who uses her work throughout the book to exemplify her points, "I think I myself am the best writer today." But woe to any other author, excluding Victor Hugo, Mickey Spillane, and, with reservations, Dostoyevsky. "To see how not to write," advises Rand, "read [Thomas Wolfe's] descriptive passages." Sinclair Lewis, she says, is a "perceptive but superficial observer." James Joyce? "He is worse than Gertrude Stein. ...He uses words from different languages, makes up some words of his own, and calls that literature."<p> Still, Rand does have some useful things to say to the fiction writer. Perhaps most important is her emphatic belief in the concrete. "In order to be completely free with words," she intones, "you must know countless concretes under your abstractions." It is only the concrete, she adds, that will lead the reader to your abstractions, your themes. Along related lines, Rand believes firmly that "If a writer feels that he was unable fully to express what he wanted to express, it means that he did not know clearly what he wanted to express"--no more blaming it on writer's block for you! And remember: "A good style is one that conveys the most with the greatest economy of words." This means that "when you draw a character, everything that you say about him acquires significance by the mere fact of being included in your story." The bottom line is that "Art is <I>selectivity</I>." <I>--Jane Steinberg</I> 3769108 1 1 2000 The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers total:112|5:43|4:38|3:22|2:8|1:1| 112 450 201 15 5 0 true false Wed Dec 20 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Mon Nov 16 19:16:35 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 16:42:59 -0800 2009 3 more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Sep 30 15:23:32 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 28 11:53:26 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 30 15:23:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jul 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 17 06:37:27 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 17 06:48:31 -0700 2009 Wonderfully written and easily understood. Ms. Rand explores the elements of fiction: theme, plot, character and style giving exampl...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Mar 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 17:04:11 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 17:05:54 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Fri Jun 12 13:25:49 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 09:05:51 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Thu Apr 23 15:24:28 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 23 15:25:15 -0700 2009 So I did.
Now I recommend other writers do the same.
Period.]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 01 14:37:42 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 14:38:28 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sun Aug 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 16:01:33 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 06:40:43 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Apr 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 04 10:35:14 -0800 2009 Mon Apr 13 18:24:07 -0700 2009
The bo...more...]]> 0 0 false false Mon Jun 23 07:01:51 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 23 07:03:38 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Sun Nov 04 22:38:44 -0800 2007 Thu Nov 22 10:56:30 -0800 2007 0 0 false false Mon Nov 10 10:42:50 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 10 10:42:50 -0800 2008 3 0 true false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Jun 01 08:39:43 -0700 2007 Fri Jun 01 08:47:48 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Tue Oct 02 14:48:29 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 02 14:48:58 -0700 2007 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Fri Oct 26 10:03:59 -0700 2007 Fri Oct 26 10:04:17 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Wed Nov 25 18:02:05 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 25 18:02:11 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Mon Nov 23 22:08:40 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 23 22:23:03 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sat Nov 21 20:01:49 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 21 20:01:49 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Nov 21 06:48:17 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 21 06:48:17 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Thu Nov 19 07:46:40 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 07:46:40 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1981