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I’ve seen both types in others and experienced each personally.

I am an amateur.įrom what I can tell though, this book generally inspires one of two feelings in its readers: deep reverential love or outright contempt. At least, that’s what I assume, but then I’ve never been an official creative writing student. If you do, you’ll end up frustrating yourself to no end and wasting a lot of time.Įvery creative writing student in the United States has read (or was supposed to read) John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction. I think that he unnecessarily obfuscates the craft of fiction by weaving it into a sorcerer’s tale and suggesting that only those of a special mind can create truly great literature. John Gardner would likely say that I am simply not cut out to be a writer, but I disagree. Rather, consider them as a less than impartial guide to the text and its effect on one writer’s attempt (and failure) to produce serious literary fiction. Do not let my negative comments dissuade you from reading this book yourself. This is the third time I’ve read the book and I’ve had a different experience each time I’ve dipped into the pages. In this review of The Art of Fiction by John Gardner, I am going to say some very negative things about both the book and its author.