On Writers and Writing
ByPublisher Description
A new selection of Henry James's essays on the art of writing, from his famous essay "The Art of Fiction" to pieces on George Eliot, Ivan Turgenev, Honoré de Balzac, and others. Witty, erudite, and passionate, James's essays are a delight for any lover of the written word.
"James knew how to be generous without sacrificing the truth. What lends dignity and breadth to [his essays] above their directness and simplicity... is the exploratory reach of James's mind."
—Leon Edel
Henry James, the master novelist, started his literary career as a brash, often blistering reviewer, unafraid to skewer eminences like Charles Dickens and George Eliot, and continued to be a working critic for the rest of his life, driven by an unflagging desire to know what makes fiction work. James's critical essays represent an ongoing appreciation of the difficult art of the novel, searching in their consideration of story, character, and style. They also stand out as splendid contributions to the art of the essay, brilliantly argued, rich with metaphor, witty, unfailingly personal.
In this new selection of James's critical essays, Michael Gorra—the author of Portrait of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of an American Masterpiece—draws on all the different periods of James's writing life, from his fledgling reviews in The Nation to his mature considerations of Gustave Flaubert, Honoré de Balzac, and William Shakespeare's The Tempest. As an overture, there is "The Art of Fiction," in which James insists that the key ingredient of fiction is not to be moral or otherwise improving but simply "to be interesting"; for a coda, "Mr. and Mrs. James T. Fields," a memoir of the literary New England of his boyhood. Overall, On Writers and Writing can be read as an artistic autobiography. Here we see James revisiting and revising his opinions on fiction, that exercise of heart and mind whose very meaning, he insists throughout, is freedom.
"James knew how to be generous without sacrificing the truth. What lends dignity and breadth to [his essays] above their directness and simplicity... is the exploratory reach of James's mind."
—Leon Edel
Henry James, the master novelist, started his literary career as a brash, often blistering reviewer, unafraid to skewer eminences like Charles Dickens and George Eliot, and continued to be a working critic for the rest of his life, driven by an unflagging desire to know what makes fiction work. James's critical essays represent an ongoing appreciation of the difficult art of the novel, searching in their consideration of story, character, and style. They also stand out as splendid contributions to the art of the essay, brilliantly argued, rich with metaphor, witty, unfailingly personal.
In this new selection of James's critical essays, Michael Gorra—the author of Portrait of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of an American Masterpiece—draws on all the different periods of James's writing life, from his fledgling reviews in The Nation to his mature considerations of Gustave Flaubert, Honoré de Balzac, and William Shakespeare's The Tempest. As an overture, there is "The Art of Fiction," in which James insists that the key ingredient of fiction is not to be moral or otherwise improving but simply "to be interesting"; for a coda, "Mr. and Mrs. James T. Fields," a memoir of the literary New England of his boyhood. Overall, On Writers and Writing can be read as an artistic autobiography. Here we see James revisiting and revising his opinions on fiction, that exercise of heart and mind whose very meaning, he insists throughout, is freedom.
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesStay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesNo Reviews
About Henry James
Henry James (1843–1916), the younger brother of the psychologist William James and one of the greatest of American writers, was born in New York but lived for most of his life in England. Among the best known of his many stories and novels are The Portrait of a Lady, The Turn of the Screw, and The Wings of the Dove.
Michael Gorra is a writer and scholar. His book Portrait of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of an American Masterpiece was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award in Biography. He teaches at Smith College.
Michael Gorra is a writer and scholar. His book Portrait of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of an American Masterpiece was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award in Biography. He teaches at Smith College.
Other books by Henry James
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?
Books Similar to On Writers and Writing
Save to a list
0
/30
0
/100
Private List