The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers

Rating:
Summary: Ayn Rand reveals more than her art of fiction
Review: "All writers have to rely on inspiration. But you have to know where it comes from, why it happens, and how to make it happen to you."

This is classic Ayn Rand, and it's typical of what you'll read in 'The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers'.

The bestselling Russian-born philosopher and novelist of 'The Fountainhead' and 'Atlas Shrugged' is almost as well known for her introspection as she is for her stories.

This slim book is based on a series of 12, four-hour lectures she conducted in her living room for a small group of friends and fans in 1958.

The book has been faithfully edited by Tore Boeckmann, who has condensed much of Rand's literary philosophy, observations and advice into a readable text that sheds light on the process of writing, both for readers and writers.

Rand's guide examines in great detail the art and craft of fiction, covering everything from the creation and execution of ideas and the key story elements to characterization, select forms of literature and the benefits of narrative versus dramatization.

Important issues, such as writer's block, inspiration, theme and plot are also discussed in great detail, providing a wealth of information for fictioneers to consider.

Throughout the book, Rand draws parallels to her Objectivism philosophy as well as sentence-by-sentence examinations of her own works and those of well known scribes, including Maugham, Wolfe and Tolstoy.

There are some insightful comments she makes about:

• Developing your own voice ~ "You cannot borrow another man's soul, and you cannot borrow his style."
• The writer's role ~ "Every writer is a moral philosopher."
• Expression ~ "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."
• Style ~ "A good style is one that conveys the most with the greatest economy of words."

These are, of course, important points for all writers to remember and to practice. But the major flaw of Rand's book relates to her personality.

Her authoritative approach on occasion distances the reader from the writer. And this is compounded by her veracious ego which is revealed in statements, such as: "I thinking I myself am the best writer today."

These and other statements she makes are usually at the expense of many well-respected writers who's life's work she dismantles with comments such as:

• H G Wells ~ "Like the rest of Wells' novels ('The War of the Worlds'), appears to have profound meaning, but it actually does not."
• Thomas Wolfe ~ "To see how not to write, read (Thomas Wolfe's) descriptive passages."
• 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."

There's no doubt that Ayn Rand's book has some excellent observations and advice, but most writers won't agree with everything she has to say on the subject. Having said that, this is a book worth reading to understand the inner writer and to perhaps re-evaluate and refine your own creative process.

-- Michael Meanwell, author of the critically-acclaimed 'The Enterprising Writer' and 'Writers on Writing'. For more book reviews and prescriptive articles for writers, visit www.enterprisingwriter.com

Rating:
Summary: Ayn Rand reveals more than her art of fiction
Review: "All writers have to rely on inspiration. But you have to know where it comes from, why it happens, and how to make it happen to you."

This is classic Ayn Rand, and it's typical of what you'll read in `The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers'.

The bestselling Russian-born philosopher and novelist of 'The Fountainhead' and 'Atlas Shrugged' is almost as well known for her introspection as she is for her stories.

This slim book is based on a series of 12, four-hour lectures she conducted in her living room for a small group of friends and fans in 1958.

The book has been faithfully edited by Tore Boeckmann, who has condensed much of Rand's literary philosophy, observations and advice into a readable text that sheds light on the process of writing, both for readers and writers.

Rand's guide examines in great detail the art and craft of fiction, covering everything from the creation and execution of ideas and the key story elements to characterization, select forms of literature and the benefits of narrative versus dramatization.

Important issues, such as writer's block, inspiration, theme and plot are also discussed in great detail, providing a wealth of information for fictioneers to consider.

Throughout the book, Rand draws parallels to her Objectivism philosophy as well as sentence-by-sentence examinations of her own works and those of well known scribes, including Maugham, Wolfe and Tolstoy.

There are some insightful comments she makes about:

* Developing your own voice ~ "You cannot borrow another man's soul, and you cannot borrow his style."
* The writer's role ~ "Every writer is a moral philosopher."
* Expression ~ "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."
* Style ~ "A good style is one that conveys the most with the greatest economy of words."

These are, of course, important points for all writers to remember and to practice. But the major flaw of Rand's book relates to her personality.

Her authoritative approach on occasion distances the reader from the writer. And this is compounded by her veracious ego which is revealed in statements, such as: "I thinking I myself am the best writer today."

These and other statements she makes are usually at the expense of many well-respected writers who's life's work she dismantles with comments such as:

* H G Wells ~ "Like the rest of Wells' novels ('The War of the Worlds'), appears to have profound meaning, but it actually does not."
* Thomas Wolfe ~ "To see how not to write, read (Thomas Wolfe's) descriptive passages."
* 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."

There's no doubt that Ayn Rand's book has some excellent observations and advice, but most writers won't agree with everything she has to say on the subject. Having said that, this is a book worth reading to understand the inner writer and to perhaps re-evaluate and refine your own creative process.

-- Michael Meanwell, author of the critically-acclaimed 'The Enterprising Writer' and 'Writers on Writing'. For more book reviews and prescriptive articles for writers, visit www.enterprisingwriter.com

Rating:
Summary: objectively an excellent book.
Review: A book that I imagine people who are attached to subjectivism will have major problems with but even I, a religious Jew, was able to make good use of this book. There is much people can learn from objectivism. With this book in particular, one can find a better time getting the "inspiration" they need for writing fiction. One can have a much better time analyzing and appreciating fiction from reading this book as well.

This book came from casual lectures that Rand gave in her living room, put down to paper much later. It is a good lecture series and of use to anyone from a person suffering writer's block to a person who wishes to explore different viewpoints on writing well.

Rating:
Summary: objectively an excellent book.
Review: A book that I imagine people who are attached to subjectivism will have major problems with but even I, a religious Jew, was able to make good use of this book. There is much people can learn from objectivism. With this book in particular, one can find a better time getting the "inspiration" they need for writing fiction. One can have a much better time analyzing and appreciating fiction from reading this book as well.

This book came from casual lectures that Rand gave in her living room, put down to paper much later. It is a good lecture series and of use to anyone from a person suffering writer's block to a person who wishes to explore different viewpoints on writing well.

Rating:
Summary: The Pathobiology of Fiction
Review: A surprising exclamation of "Thank You!" was my instant gut reaction, undeniably ordered by my subconscious, right after reading her last word of this remarkable book. Trying to compete with such authority, "Time well spent" my next cognitive thought.

Have you ever felt the type of gratitude towards a professor who achieved to engage you in a lecture full of clarity, energy, wit, objectivity, intellectual stimulation, and who had you mesmerized, to the point of where you forgot the sense of time? A lecture that didn't register as yet another missionary and boring message by somebody only out to convince you that his/her religion is the only valid one, using all sorts of cheap rhetorical tricks or biblical mystery to sway you? Well, you're in for a treat.

Whether, in the end, one agrees or doesn't with Ayn Rand's points she submits in this remarkable analysis of fiction writing is not what you'll end up with if you allow yourself to go beyond simple judgment of her viewpoints. This is not just another debate with an achieved author seeking approbation about her opinion on what is better or best in literature. This is neither a religious manifesto merely destined to justify or reinforce the credo of her fans.

It is way more valuable, for it is a candid sharing of accumulated cognition, a march of intellect of somebody who has the gift of one of the most precious forms of communication of human existence: the imparting of knowledge and understanding of excellence onto others, not in the abstraction or with self-serving generalities, but with enough of a concrete of information that is powerful enough to stimulate the positive creativity in others, whatever form or shape that may take in the end.

Rating:
Summary: Every writers and reader's dream guidebook
Review: Being an aspiring writer , "The Art of Fiction" is precisely the book I always dreamt of reading.
Rand's analysis - rational , logical , lucid and concise and yet , elaborate and explanatory - of the technical aspects of literature - theme , plot , characterization and style (and much more) - is , to say the least , brilliant.

In my review for "The Romantic Manifesto" I have said that that book had an unsatisfying quality- because of its lack of in-depth analysis of the very process of artistic creation , its inadequacy of examples and the absence of any exhaustive proof of the evaluative judgments made by Rand. Now let me tell you that "The Art of Fiction" properly covers these aspects , while "The Romantic Manifesto" has a more generalized aspect : it focuses on the meaning and nature of art itself (not just literature) , its role in man's life, and deals with questions such as- what should art be like? Why is it disintegrating in today's culture? and so on.

In "The Art of Fiction", the most illuminating points brought to light by Rand are , in my opinion , the following :
1. The tremendous importance of words used as an objective tool for conveying abstractions - that is , any human emotion , value , thought , philosophical idea etc. (which has been grossly neglected in most of literature).
2. How the style of a writer - choice of words as well as choice of content - reveals his deepest beliefs , values and view of life (which may be totally opposite of what he openly expresses - such as Victor Hugo).
3. How psychology in Naturalist writers (who are always applauded for their psychological perceptiveness, if not for anything else ) is INFERIOR to that of Romantic writers (who , though to a small extent correctly) are accused of superficial and"oversimplified" psychology.
4. How to perfect plot construction and characterization.

Most wonderful and interesting are the examples offered by Rand - such as the development of a complex plot-structure from scratch , the process being illustrated using Hugo's "Notre Dame of Paris". But I would have liked Rand to take up examples from some other writers other than the 3-4 (basically herself) she has used. For example, she has said that there isn't anybody better at plot and theme integration than Dostoevsky (in another book). Then why not explain this element using a novel of Dostoevsky's which are far more complex , elaborate and difficult to crack than Hugo's ?In her analysis of style , she has used the examples of several authors , but not all are well-known. However, this is NOT a flaw - just that , had these points been taken care of , it would've been better.

In conclusion I'll say that if any aspiring writer could meet all the standards set by Rand in this book , or even most of them , he or she would match the level of the very best literary giants of human civilization (though not necessarily would've been recognized in the same light by today's abjectly third-rate literary establishment).
Read this book - it will dismiss many doubts and myths which , I think , most of the world has or holds about what is good fiction . It proves that Ayn Rand herself is the greatest novelist the world has seen.

Ayn Rand , hats off to you !!

Rating:
Summary: If you want to write like Rand...
Review: I actually read The Art of Nonfiction before this one, and it's the better book. Rand's prejudices come more to the fore in this one. Put another way, Nonfiction will help you learn how to write, but Fiction will only help you if you want to learn how to write like Rand. Well, that's something of an exaggeration, but it's at least close to the truth.

Rand's primary focus is on plotting, and particularly on her notion of plotting, which must involve internal conflict dramatized to the greatest possible extent and integrated by a theme. That and related issues take up almost half the book.
The chapter on characterization is an expansion of a treatment of the same subject found in The Romantic Manifesto, just in more detail and with more examples.

Her chapters on style are the book in small: some advice is excellent, other is dubious at best. She has an extensive discussion of how to write about love, with an excerpt from Atlas Shrugged that is fuel for the fire of any critic who thinks her style is mechanical: devoid of emotion, she clinically describes the scene in tedious, fly-on-the-wall detail. This is dramatically contrasted with a brilliant passage from Hugo that is every thing her passage isn't: enthusiastic and suffused with passion. She goes on to present some increasingly dreadful examples, from Thomas Wolfe (lovely but unfocused) to Kathleen Winsor (hack writing) to James Gould Cozzens (worse than hack writing - sneering, in fact, as Rand delights in pointing out).

A follow-up chapter is excellent, addressing such practical issues as when to narrate versus when to dramatize, how to insert explanations, how to handle flashbacks, and so on. There is no doubt that Rand knew what she was doing and is capable of explaining it, so she is at her best with the tricks and details of how to write clearly and appropriately. The rest must be taken with a grain of salt. So I have a mixed recommendation for this one.

Rating:
Summary: Narcissism personified
Review: No one loves Ayn Rand more than Ayn Rand herself, and this is one of the most blatantly self-serving books ever written. Yes, there is some very good advise, but nothing that isn't readily available elsewhere without having to wade through such dribble as she constantly bombards the reader, lest her superior intellect and super-human abilities be forgotten.

For ardent fans of Ms. Rand this is probably a must have book; for the rest of us, while there is good advice buried within the pages, we must each decide whether it's worth putting on our boots to get it.

Rating:
Summary: Good Advice to Be Sure...
Review: The advice Rand gives writers in this transcription of a series of living room lectures is sound in places: anchor your abstractions in the concrete; remember that art is selectivity; show, don't tell; use actions to illuminate your character, etc, etc, etc. All good advice, to be sure, but to say that Rand is proposing anything new or different from what is taught in writing seminars across the country is a little disingenuous. Add to this her refusal to praise the work of any author besides herself and Victor Hugo, her casual dismissal of prominent writers without convincing evidence (and, even more interesting, the relative paucity of authors she even brings up) and a few didactic guidelines (her ban on profanity, slang, and references less than one century old), and there's rather too much extraneous stuff here to be worth the effort of wading in to try to get to the good bits.

If it's advice you're looking for, there's an excellent essay called "Dogma" in "The Writing Life," a collection of essays and interviews with a number of authors put together by the National Book Award that I found both more helpful and less self-absorbed.

Rating:
Summary: Concrete Writing
Review: The Art of Ficton explores the idea that fiction can be actively created and not passively channeled. While many authors look at writing as a mystical ex nihilo creation, Ayn Rand looks at the practical planning aspects of plot, theme, and other areas of novel organization. She encourages authors to say something when they write, to create with purpose. Those exploring the craft of writing will find this perspective a useful tool to give their writing more meaning.