Essentials of the Theory of Fiction, 2nd ed. [Paperback]

Michael J. Hoffman (Editor), Patrick D. Murphy (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 21, 1996

This second edition of Essentials of the Theory of Fiction provides a comprehensive view of the theory of fiction from the nineteenth century, through modernism and postmodernism, to the present. Expanded and revised, it has new selections from contemporary theorists, including Henry Louis Gates Jr., Peter Brooks, Linda Hutcheon, David Lodge, Barbara Foley, and others.

Selections from: M. M. Bakhtin, John Barth, Roland Barthes, Wayne Booth, Peter Brooks, Seymour Chatman, Rachel Blau DuPlessis, Suzanne C. Ferguson, Barbara Foley, E. M. Forster, Joseph Frank, William Freedman, Norman Friedman, Joanne S. Frye, William H. Gass, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Gérard Genette, J. Arthur Honeywell, Linda Hutcheon, Henry James, Susan S. Lanser, Mitchell A. Leaska, George Levine, David Lodge, Georg Lukács, Gerald Prince, Patrocinio P. Schweickart, Tzvetan Todorov, Lionel Trilling, and Virginia Woolf

Editorial Reviews

Review

"That there was a perceived need to produce a third, expanded edition of this anthology of essays on the theory of fiction speaks volumes about both the user-friendliness and value of such single-volume compendia. . . . This remains a volume that reminds critics that progress is often not the latest thing in the marketplace but critical pieces that have stood the test of time."
--"Forum for Modern Language Studies" --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Michael J. Hoffman is Professor of English at the University of California, Davis. Patrick D. Murphy is Professor of English at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Duke University Press Books; 2 edition (November 21, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822318237
• ISBN-13: 978-0822318231
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,848,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent Insight, December 16, 2010

By 

Dan B "Dan" (Troy Michigan,) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Essentials of the Theory of Fiction (Paperback)

This ain't a bad book. And in case you haven't noticed, I ain't no hi-brow writer! There are some decent insights in this book -- granted, much of the referenced material assumes you have read a deep library of classic fiction and some parts are snobbish. But you can still get something out of this book if you want to. Might not be a bad idea to read one or two of the books referenced in the essays. After all, the basic assumption here is you want to learn about fiction theory, otherwise you wouldn't even have searched this book out! Right?

If you want some insight on the theory behind fiction, you'll get it here. Most essays are short, and will enlighten you of the whys behind the how comes of writing. It's not a difficult to read book, and if you, like me, are looking for something more insightful than the typical "how to" writing books without having to shell out tens of thousands of dollars for an MFA or even a BFA, you'll like this book. Bottom line, if you have a desire to get aquainted with writing fiction beyond the "This is plot, this is character, this is scene etc...," get this book.

0 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Consider another text, November 12, 2010

By 

J. McBrearty (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Essentials of the Theory of Fiction (Paperback)

Unless you have read tons of fiction - in the original French and Russian - this book of literary (a code word for positively boring and meaningless) criticism is a bunch of poorly written essays that speak to the sad, sorry state of what passes for high-brow literature these days. This is THE reason fiction writers should not write explanatory prose - they can't write clearly, coherently, or concisely. I was assigned this book for a creative writing class, and still do not know what the heck these people are talking about. I'm sure these people are very smart and have great information, but they're just bad writers. The authors' "target audience" is obviously other equally pretentious people, but for even college educated people, this book is a slog fest full of inside, esoteric, litto-babble.