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loosegeese's review against another edition
1.0
E.M. Forster’s Aspects of the Novel had the potential to make some very important and interesting points about how we categorise and understand the novel. In fairness, it contains very simple and helpful definitions of plot and story. Forster tells us that the two are distinguished by causality.
Unfortunately, the man is a total prick. The very personal, informal style of the guide reveals how hugely biased, defensive and uninformed Forster is. He believes only the intelligent with good memories can appreciate novels, movie-goers are no better than cavemen, and he chides the inquisitive – a reader should not ask questions of their novelist, simply read and brood.
Forster asks us in his introduction to imagine every novelist working in a single circular room at the same time, removing their works of any context, influence and chronology. In designing this room, he refuses to believe that social, medical, political or technological advances have in any way impacted the novel. He lost me fully on page 27 with the words: ‘As women bettered their position the novel, they asserted, became better too. Quite wrong.’ I refuse to believe that all the world’s novels could be written without any knowledge of one another. Nothing exists in a vacuum. I had borrowed my copy from the library, and so will finish up with a quotation from another student scrawled in the margins. ‘NO! STICK IT UP YOUR ARSE.’
Unfortunately, the man is a total prick. The very personal, informal style of the guide reveals how hugely biased, defensive and uninformed Forster is. He believes only the intelligent with good memories can appreciate novels, movie-goers are no better than cavemen, and he chides the inquisitive – a reader should not ask questions of their novelist, simply read and brood.
Forster asks us in his introduction to imagine every novelist working in a single circular room at the same time, removing their works of any context, influence and chronology. In designing this room, he refuses to believe that social, medical, political or technological advances have in any way impacted the novel. He lost me fully on page 27 with the words: ‘As women bettered their position the novel, they asserted, became better too. Quite wrong.’ I refuse to believe that all the world’s novels could be written without any knowledge of one another. Nothing exists in a vacuum. I had borrowed my copy from the library, and so will finish up with a quotation from another student scrawled in the margins. ‘NO! STICK IT UP YOUR ARSE.’
scottsolomonwriter's review against another edition
5.0
This book on the craft of writing could have been entitled Aspects of Narration. Forster's observations regarding story, plot, character, and theme are all-inclusive and timeless.
saidboobily's review against another edition
4.0
This is a good book for learning how to criticize literature rather than create it. And to be fair, it is categorized as literary criticism, but I'm sure many people read this book hoping to learn how to write a novel. In my opinion, it's not suited to that goal.
josefine_k's review
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
3.0
Har inspireret mig til at begynde at reflektere mere over de bøger jeg læser, og til at skrive det ned, bare til mig selv. Jeg vil gå tilbage og gøre dette ved de bøger, der stadig er friske i min hukommelse.
lifesaverscandyofficial's review against another edition
essentially impossible to rate. enjoyable on the level of, like, I love Forster and I would happily read him on anything, but probably a lot more useful a """guide""" if you are more familiar with the canon he's drawing from.