Reading Novels

by George Hughes

Reading Novels is a unique piece of practical criticism, a comprehensive "poetics" of a genre that has not attracted a great deal of attention, at least not on this level. It is a reader's and student's guide that reaches beyond issues of individual texts and historical traditions to essential features of the form.

305 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much focus on the past. It would be much more efficient if the author gave excerpts from recent titles.

[Charli Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the 1990s I had enough sense as an aspiring writer to recognize that literary criticism was not going to help me better learn my craft. My undergrad degree required a block of literary courses, however. I cheerfully avoided anything that resembled deconstructionism. I studied Black Literature, Literature of Montana Writers, Medieval Women's Writer, and took enough Middle English courses to become an expert on Chaucer. Now that I'm an MFA candidate, literary criticism has much to say about the history of novels, what came before, and why deconstructionism has (thankfully) fallen from grace. Literary criticism is now recognizing the roles of authors and readers. With that caveat, readers and writers can better recognize what literary criticism has to teach. And this is the book to do that.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book for a class in university. Interesting and insightful. Highly recommend this work for anyone who studies English literature or enjoys reading and writing.