On Moral Fiction [Hardcover]

John Gardner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 8, 1978

A genuine classic of literary criticism, On Moral Fiction argues that ”true art is by its nature moral.”

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is salutary to come across a writer who is genuinely ambitious for art." -- The New York Review of Books

"John Gardner's On Moral Fiction is criticism with both eyes open, fearless, illuminating, proving...that true art is moral and not trivial." -- Los Angeles Times

"Most refreshing about Gardner is his belief that some truths are indeed knowable." -- Business Week --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

John Gardner (1933–1982) was a bestselling novelist and one of the most popular and respected writing teachers of his generation. His books On Moral Fiction, The Art of Fiction, and On Becoming a Novelist are consulted by thousands of aspiring writers every year. His novels include the classic Grendel and the bestsellers October Light, The Sunlight Dialogues, and Nickel Mountain.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 214 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; 1st edition (April 8, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465052258
• ISBN-13: 978-0465052257
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,963,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Gardner (1933-1982) was born in Batavia, New York. His critically acclaimed books include the novels Grendel, The Sunlight Dialogues, and October Light, for which he received the National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as several works of nonfiction and criticism such as On Becoming a Novelist. He was also a professor of medieval literature and a pioneering creative writing teacher whose students included Raymond Carver and Charles Johnson.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh Air, December 8, 2000

By 

Michael Leone (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On Moral Fiction (A Harper Torchbook- TB 5069) (Paperback)

Gardner's work certainly won't appeal to postmodernists or other avant-garde scribblers who believe form takes precedence over content. His thesis is simple: all art purports to better the world, not hinder it; all art essentially believes in a form of goodness, truth, beauty, whatever you want to call it, in the sense that it affirms that there is an inherent value in life and no value in "valuelessness." He comes down strongly on writers who write like "writers," and where style becomes more important than the timeless art of storytelling. All this probably won't be very compelling to many of the readers who cling to the works of 60s writers like Pynchon, Gass, Coover, et al., who write thinly disguised treatises, not novels, and who people their books not with characters but mannequins. There is something old fashioned about Gardner's point of view, which won't win him many hipster fans, but his argument, this reader feels, stands up even stronger in today's climate where the main literary trends seem to consist of endless irony, facile references to pop culture and television. Furthermore, his book is lucid, trenchant, passionate, engaging, and of course, confrontational.

49 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Screed, February 15, 2000

By 

Carra R Lane - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Moral Fiction (A Harper Torchbook- TB 5069) (Paperback)

This book created some stir when originally published, perhaps due more to the naming of names (of peers Gardner judged arrogant/irresponsible/careless) than to the deeper ideas/passions which inform it. One star is subtracted for poor strategy, excessive willingness to engage on turf occupied/fortified by his not at all innocent victims. Gardner does get lost, from time to time, in one abstract philosophical swamp or another. The book may be needlessly long. But the writing rings true, finally. This is the most ambitious literary argument published during the past fifty years, certainly, and it is essentially on the mark. The academic canon was tilting dangerously in the direction of empty opaque diddling during the seventies, choked with very talented hip and superhip cynics, often on university payrolls, weary of the ancient plain work of shaping stories. The vogue was so universal that Gardner fails to find a single working American high lit contender (excluding himself, we trust) to like without heavy reservations. He does favor one Englishman, at least. This ground is tricky. Some of the writing disdained/derided seeks, in various ways, to imitate James Joyce, who is granted a semi-pass, and Ezra Pound is not properly whapped until near the end. Connecting the wave of mean arrogant cleverness to its obvious roots counts, has consequences. Gardner, who died by motorcycle accident in the early eighties, may have been just beginning to fight.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A most wonderful conversation, November 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: On Moral Fiction (A Harper Torchbook- TB 5069) (Paperback)

I first read this book in the 1970's when it was new. I've owned a copy ever since, and I've given so many away as gifts that I've lost count.

It is easily my favorite book. From the moment I first read it, until today; I open its pages and feel as if I'm having a literary conversation with an old friend.

The "moral" in the title puts off some folks, but don't be deterred. Gardner uses the term "moral" as you or I would use the word "truth." All Gardner is imploring is that authors seek the truth when writing fiction and avoid cheap tricks and cheap effects. That is all.

Yes, Gardner did feel that writing comes with a responsibility. He also felt it was nothing less than a privilege, and thus comes the responsibility that goes with privilege.

Buy it, enjoy it. If you share Gardner's view (as illustrated in the paragraph above, I promise you -- you will cherish this volume).