Scan barcode
abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
lovely book about the different uses of time in fiction. many references to works of fiction that are terrific reads.
gengelcox's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.0
As normal when I’m percolating on a new novel (i.e., that time of writing that doesn’t involve in collecting very many words on the screen but is indispensable for gathering your wits together before attempting to make a collection of 80k+ words in some coherent order), I find myself reading writing craft books. I chose this one in particular because the new book I’m contemplating takes place at least 300 years in the future, yet also needs to reflect events that happen some 50-100 years in the future, so time is going to be a big part of the writing process. I enjoyed Silber’s explication of the ways different authors and books have approached time. My most recent novel used what Silber terms “classic” time—basically, every scene in the book is portrayed in chronological order (with some overlap given there’s four different points-of-view). My first novel was written in what Silber calls “switchback” time—as a structuralist, I went about this in a very formal way, where there were three separate sections of the protagonist’s life, but it starts with the most recent, then flashes back to when she was a child, then her first years of college, then back to the present. But, after establishing that pattern, each section is presented classically, so, if you wanted, you could read the story of her life in chronological order by ignoring how the chapters are presented in the book and reading all of the child’s section first, then the college years section, then finally the present time.
Which is to say that, as a journeyman author, I appreciated being able to connect what I’ve already done to theory, and found some of what Silber presents to be interesting for my new project, although I have no idea right now how it might manifest. Such is how percolation works, at least for me.
limdz's review against another edition
3.0
Felt like a cliff-notes version of the concept of "time" in fiction. The chapter on fabulist time was most interesting to me, but most chapters are too self-explanatory to provoke intrigue and revelation.
kellylynnthomas's review against another edition
3.0
Reading for Thesis Seminar. This was an uneven book. Some chapters were excellent; others, not so much. In general there was far too much plot summary and not enough discussion/examination of craft or technique. Sometimes the point wasn't even time, and I'm perfectly okay with that, but there was so much plot summary (like three or so pages per book/story examined compared to two paragraphs of discussion) that I got easily frustrated with it.
There are some really great ideas in this book about ways to use time in fiction though; especially the Classic and Switchback Time chapters, and the first section of the Fabulous Time chapter that examines One Hundred Years of Solitude (don't read it if you don't want spoilers for that book, though).
There are some really great ideas in this book about ways to use time in fiction though; especially the Classic and Switchback Time chapters, and the first section of the Fabulous Time chapter that examines One Hundred Years of Solitude (don't read it if you don't want spoilers for that book, though).
sjgochenour's review against another edition
5.0
This book purports to be about writing, but it is sneakily about other important things as well.
thirdcoast's review against another edition
4.0
I really love these books from the "Art of" series published by Graywolf Press. In Joan Silber's The Art of Time in Fiction she explores how time is used and manipulated in numerous novels and short stories.
The chapters are divided into: Classic Time, Long Time, Switchback Time, Slowed Time, Fabulous Time, and Time as Subject. Silber explains what each term means and illustrates how the writer created the desired effect through their approach of time.
How does a novel that takes place over a school year (Harry Potter) differ from a novel that takes place over a lifetime (Love in the Time of Cholera)? How does Alice Munro convey decades in the span of a few pages? What happens in surreal stories where time seems to exist outside of normal experience? Silber addresses these questions and many more. As actions and consequences exist (in most cases) as a temporal experience, it's important for writers to consider time. While writers who are just starting out may be more concerned with basic mechanics, these questions and discussions are wonderful for people who have been writing for years and thinking about fiction. Moreover, if the reader is familiar with many of the works Silber references it makes the book even more enjoyable. The Art of Time in Fiction is a quick read, but worth reading for writers interested in the subject.
The chapters are divided into: Classic Time, Long Time, Switchback Time, Slowed Time, Fabulous Time, and Time as Subject. Silber explains what each term means and illustrates how the writer created the desired effect through their approach of time.
How does a novel that takes place over a school year (Harry Potter) differ from a novel that takes place over a lifetime (Love in the Time of Cholera)? How does Alice Munro convey decades in the span of a few pages? What happens in surreal stories where time seems to exist outside of normal experience? Silber addresses these questions and many more. As actions and consequences exist (in most cases) as a temporal experience, it's important for writers to consider time. While writers who are just starting out may be more concerned with basic mechanics, these questions and discussions are wonderful for people who have been writing for years and thinking about fiction. Moreover, if the reader is familiar with many of the works Silber references it makes the book even more enjoyable. The Art of Time in Fiction is a quick read, but worth reading for writers interested in the subject.
selinamarcille's review against another edition
2.0
This book was alright. It relied heavily on snippets from other books, but didn't fully explain the concepts or what we were supposed to be looking at. Some helpful tips, but not great.
an_enthusiastic_reader's review against another edition
5.0
I wish I'd read this book back when I was studying literature. It provides a clear explanation (with literary examples) of how writers can use the constructs of time, and would have made my own reading better. This is a wonderful use of the literary essay to help readers and writers alike.