in the tradition of e m forsters aspects of the novel and milan kunderas the art of the novel how fiction works is a scintillating study of the magic of fictionan analysis of its main elements and a celebration of its lasting power here one of the most prominent and stylish critics of our time looks into the machinery of storytelling to ask some fundamental questions what do we mean when we say we know a fictional character what constitutes a telling detail when is a metaphor successful is realism realistic why do some literary conventions become dated while others stay freshjames wood ranges widely from homer to make way for ducklings from the bible to john le carr and his book is both a study of the techniques of fictionmaking and an alternative history of the novel playful and profound how fiction works will be enlightening to writers readers and anyone else interested in what happens on the page