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A review by donasbooks
The Writing of Fiction by Edith Wharton
3.0
Instagram Review: http://www.instagram.com/p/CFDamC1gZAa/
After I read [b:Summer|269528|Summer|Edith Wharton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1418788209l/269528._SY75_.jpg|3140028], I fell in love with [a:Edith Wharton|16|Edith Wharton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1484512230p2/16.jpg] as a writer and a representative of her era. So many of the male literary giants of her era -- Hemingway, Fitzgerald -- wrote in such gaunt styles. The popularity of this "clarity" persists in contemporary literature. But Wharton, who won the Pulitzer for [b:The Age of Innocence|53835|The Age of Innocence|Edith Wharton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388248423l/53835._SY75_.jpg|1959512], wrote in a lush style, perhaps what some today might consider verbose. But I love the unspooling sentences, the fearless use of descriptors. And so I thought I would love her book on writing, The Writing of Fiction.
However, I found that Wharton spent more time bloviating about the conventions of writing (many of which are now out of date anyway) than discussing the elements of writing. When she does get down to the meat of the matter, the material is interesting and useful -- mostly.
There are five section in this book, and of those, only "II: Telling a Short Story" and "IV: Character and Situation in the Novel" are of particular use to contemporary writers. If a writer is diligent and curious enough and wants good material for an unusual form of novel, they might choose to wade through "III: Constructing a Novel."
All said, this text didn't hold up well for its age while other books on writing from the same era did. I loved Hemingway's [b:A Moveable Feast|4631|A Moveable Feast|Ernest Hemingway|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1427463201l/4631._SX50_.jpg|2459084], and I don't even have a warm relationship with Hemingway. I also appreciate Brenda Ueland's [b:If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit|248954|If You Want to Write A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit|Brenda Ueland|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388202674l/248954._SY75_.jpg|3065140], published in 1938. Neither of these texts replaces Wharton's, though; so be careful choosing to omit it from your studies.
Be safe out there my fellow creatives! Everyone remember your masks and watch your hands. Stay bookish, stay resilient!
After I read [b:Summer|269528|Summer|Edith Wharton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1418788209l/269528._SY75_.jpg|3140028], I fell in love with [a:Edith Wharton|16|Edith Wharton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1484512230p2/16.jpg] as a writer and a representative of her era. So many of the male literary giants of her era -- Hemingway, Fitzgerald -- wrote in such gaunt styles. The popularity of this "clarity" persists in contemporary literature. But Wharton, who won the Pulitzer for [b:The Age of Innocence|53835|The Age of Innocence|Edith Wharton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388248423l/53835._SY75_.jpg|1959512], wrote in a lush style, perhaps what some today might consider verbose. But I love the unspooling sentences, the fearless use of descriptors. And so I thought I would love her book on writing, The Writing of Fiction.
However, I found that Wharton spent more time bloviating about the conventions of writing (many of which are now out of date anyway) than discussing the elements of writing. When she does get down to the meat of the matter, the material is interesting and useful -- mostly.
There are five section in this book, and of those, only "II: Telling a Short Story" and "IV: Character and Situation in the Novel" are of particular use to contemporary writers. If a writer is diligent and curious enough and wants good material for an unusual form of novel, they might choose to wade through "III: Constructing a Novel."
All said, this text didn't hold up well for its age while other books on writing from the same era did. I loved Hemingway's [b:A Moveable Feast|4631|A Moveable Feast|Ernest Hemingway|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1427463201l/4631._SX50_.jpg|2459084], and I don't even have a warm relationship with Hemingway. I also appreciate Brenda Ueland's [b:If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit|248954|If You Want to Write A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit|Brenda Ueland|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388202674l/248954._SY75_.jpg|3065140], published in 1938. Neither of these texts replaces Wharton's, though; so be careful choosing to omit it from your studies.
Be safe out there my fellow creatives! Everyone remember your masks and watch your hands. Stay bookish, stay resilient!