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jackieeh's review against another edition
4.0
I was inspired to finally sit down and read this when, in the midst of my latest Isherwood read, I determined with glee that I was two degrees separated from Forster. And, yes, I'm the odd one out for several reasons, but E. M. Forster-->Christopher Isherwood-->Edmund White-->Me is a pretty exciting lineup to be part of.
How great would it have been to have been present at these lectures? Or, maybe not. Because today I can dogear pages and make notes in the margins and type up this review immediately, whereas if I had been in Cambridge in 1927 I probably would have sprained my wrist taking notes.
(Spoiler alert, Mr. Forster: technology does change things.)
Everyone knows the part about the king, the queen, and the difference between a plot and a story. Everyone should know how much E. M. Forster loved Moby Dick. This, in particular, spoke to my soul:
I was equally gratified to hear Forster championing Dickens, who I love in the same way I love the Phantom of the Opera musical: for reasons having nothing to do with taste and everything to do with my childhood and expressly against current coolness trends. Of course, Forster's onto me there, too, and adorably explains why he loves the Swiss Family Robinson so much while at the same time recognizing its limits. "That is why we are so unreasonable over the stories we like, and so ready to bully those who like something else."
I liked it. I learned from it. I disagreed with it at times. I'm still beyond thrilled to be two degrees from this guy.
How great would it have been to have been present at these lectures? Or, maybe not. Because today I can dogear pages and make notes in the margins and type up this review immediately, whereas if I had been in Cambridge in 1927 I probably would have sprained my wrist taking notes.
(Spoiler alert, Mr. Forster: technology does change things.)
Everyone knows the part about the king, the queen, and the difference between a plot and a story. Everyone should know how much E. M. Forster loved Moby Dick. This, in particular, spoke to my soul:
Moby Dick is full of meanings: its meaning is a different problem. It is wrong to turn the Delight or the coffin into symbols, because even if the symbolism is correct, it silences the book. Nothing can be stated about Moby Dick except that it is a contest. The rest is song.
I was equally gratified to hear Forster championing Dickens, who I love in the same way I love the Phantom of the Opera musical: for reasons having nothing to do with taste and everything to do with my childhood and expressly against current coolness trends. Of course, Forster's onto me there, too, and adorably explains why he loves the Swiss Family Robinson so much while at the same time recognizing its limits. "That is why we are so unreasonable over the stories we like, and so ready to bully those who like something else."
I liked it. I learned from it. I disagreed with it at times. I'm still beyond thrilled to be two degrees from this guy.
tree_star's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books on character structure/plot/etc. that I have ever come across. Forster's language comes off more like a conversation than a 'lecture', which is what this book is compiled of.
eliser217's review against another edition
3.0
This was a surprisingly easy read. I'm not a huge E.M. Forster fan, but he definitely has interesting things to say about how novels are constructed and differences between writers. I would recommend this to anyone interested in how novels are written and literary criticism.
geoffreyjen's review against another edition
4.0
[a:E.M. Forster|86404|E.M. Forster|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1402057803p2/86404.jpg]’s book is not what one expects. It is not, in fact, an exposé of how to write. Rather it is a study of what is written, from one writer’s perspective. This is both the book’s strength and its weakness. Forster has opinions about everything, and is often critical of writers we tend to think of as canon. And yet, he offers insights into good writing that can be stunning, and hard to find elsewhere, perhaps because already stated here. He also offers us ways of looking that are surprising. Take his discussion of a novelist with a prophetic voice : « His theme is the universe, or something universal, but he is not necessarily going to ‘say’ anything about the universe ; he proposes to sing, and the strangeness of song arising in the halls of fiction is bound to give us a shock. » There is also a lovely portrait of ‘Homo Fictus’, that is, the way people are presented in novels : they seldom eat, nor sleep, they are obsessed with love and relationships, they die readily, they come into the world ‘more like parcels than human beings’, and they are open to our gaze. Here’s another insight I think particularly telling : « Nearly all novels are feeble at the end. This is because the plot requires to be wound up... and usually the characters go dead while he is at work, and our final impression of them is through deadness. » He is right, of course. Most novel endings feel ‘dead’. Perhaps there is a challenge here to writers to find ways to enliven the endings of books.
The book is packed with insights like these. It may not impact directly on my writing per se, but it has already had an impact on how I understand what a novel is, and what a writer does. Recommended. To both writers, and readers.
The book is packed with insights like these. It may not impact directly on my writing per se, but it has already had an impact on how I understand what a novel is, and what a writer does. Recommended. To both writers, and readers.
abetterjulie's review against another edition
2.0
This book has a few gems mixed in with the outdated and esoteric references. I've read a lot of classics comparatively, but hardly any of the ones he uses as examples. That made it a bit of a strain to follow along. I felt like it started out strong, and I did highlight a couple of excellent thoughts, but then it fell apart and I was just reading to finish.
fraboo's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
un rollercoaster.
(almeno mi ha fatto sentire qualcosa: <b>l'incazzo.</b> una tantum.)
(almeno mi ha fatto sentire qualcosa: <b>l'incazzo.</b> una tantum.)
davenash's review against another edition
3.0
Most books on writing a novel draw from this. Forester has a nice professorial and conversational style of writing. A lot of references to Austen, Dickens and Tolstoy.
wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
It was interesting to see where some of the truisms of fiction come from. And the section on The Ambassadors is great (even if I disagree). A lot of the other stuff is only interesting from a historical standpoint.