What do you think?
Rate this book
Form and Function in the Diary Novel
A study of novels written in the form of diaries. Some 75 fictional diarists are followed, with examples ranging from light-hearted works to those of Nobel prize-winners like Sartre and Golding, which the author uses to illustrate the versatility of this literary form.
210 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1989
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 31, 2020
This is a book about different literary techniques, tropes and norms in diary fiction. It has pros and cons, but I have a suspicion that for many readers, those pros and cons will be quite divisive. Now, to the pros.
The author claims that he has read more than 100 works of diary fiction. It's a huge list and he has done his homework, therefore you can trust there will be a motley crew of different works of fiction. Although it should also be noted that the examples usually come from a much smaller list.
The quality of different sections of the book vary greatly. Some, like the final chapter, are quite informative, whereas some other chapters are a nightmare to read.
Now, to the reasons why those sections are so bad.
First, the author assumes you have read all the novels and short stories which it lists. This makes reading the book quite challenging. Furthermore, he has no reservations regarding spoiling them. Now imagine you decide to read some of them and suddenly, boom! The ending is revealed. Not funny.
Other than that, there are annoying little problems such as faulty reasoning, constant barrage of lame jokes, and poor examples that are not even remotely related to the subject (e.g. Martina Navratilova example, that serves no particular purpose except perplexing the readers who, for instance, are not—and are not supposed to be—acquainted with professional tennis players).
The author claims that he has read more than 100 works of diary fiction. It's a huge list and he has done his homework, therefore you can trust there will be a motley crew of different works of fiction. Although it should also be noted that the examples usually come from a much smaller list.
The quality of different sections of the book vary greatly. Some, like the final chapter, are quite informative, whereas some other chapters are a nightmare to read.
Now, to the reasons why those sections are so bad.
First, the author assumes you have read all the novels and short stories which it lists. This makes reading the book quite challenging. Furthermore, he has no reservations regarding spoiling them. Now imagine you decide to read some of them and suddenly, boom! The ending is revealed. Not funny.
Other than that, there are annoying little problems such as faulty reasoning, constant barrage of lame jokes, and poor examples that are not even remotely related to the subject (e.g. Martina Navratilova example, that serves no particular purpose except perplexing the readers who, for instance, are not—and are not supposed to be—acquainted with professional tennis players).
Displaying 1 of 1 review