A book-length essay by the forefront literary critic takes readers on a philosophical tour of the art of the novel, in a wide-ranging piece that explores such topics as the definition of style, the connection between realism and real life, and the qualities that make a story. By the author of The Irresponsible Self.
FREE INDIRECT STYLE Take this opening (it is a complete paragraph) of William Trevor's short story 'Against the Odds' from his collection The Hill Bachelors: Mrs Kincaid decided to lie low. There had been a bit of bother, nothing much ...
The definitive collection of literary essays by The New Yorker’s award-winning longtime book critic Ever since the publication of his first essay collection, The Broken Estate, in 1999, James Wood has been widely regarded as a leading ...
This classic guide, from the renowned novelist and professor, has helped transform generations of aspiring writers into masterful writers—and will continue to do so for many years to come.
A young man, hectic and dirty, sits on a park bench in a cold city. He is wild, nervous, seems to fiddle with his soul. Beside him, an old man is holding a newspaper. The young man begins a conversation. In its course, the old man ...
A surprisingly beautiful evocation of horror and brutality, The Roving Party is a meditation on the intricacies of human nature at its most raw.
With clear and honest insight, Jon Sealy's memoir and writing manifesto, So You Want to be a Novelist, offers aspiring writers a toolkit for understanding fiction-and serves as both guide and warning for the road ahead.
This book seeks to understand the role of literary representation, or mimesis, in shaping, sustaining, and negotiating environmental imaginaries during the deep, ongoing transformations that have taken place from the 1950s to the present.
Following The Broken Estate, The Irresponsible Self, and How Fiction Works—books that established James Wood as the leading critic of his generation—The Fun Stuff confirms Wood's preeminence, not only as a discerning judge but also as ...
Rich in subtle human insight, full of poignant and often funny portraits, and vivid with a sense of place, James Wood’s Upstate is a powerful, intense, beautiful novel.
The Irresponsible Self is indispensable reading for anyone who cares about modern fiction. "James Wood has been called our best young critic. This is not true. He is our best critic; he thinks with a sublime ferocity.