{"product_id":"how-novels-work-john-mullan-9780199281770","title":"How Novels Work","description":"Drawing on his weekly \u003cem\u003eGuardian\u003c\/em\u003e column, \"Elements of Fiction,\" John Mullan offers an engaging look at the novel, focusing mostly on works of the last ten years as he illuminates the rich resources of novelistic technique. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMullan sheds light on some of the true masterworks of contemporary fiction, including Monica Ali's \u003cem\u003eBrick Lane\u003c\/em\u003e, J.M. Coetzee's \u003cem\u003eDisgrace\u003c\/em\u003e, Don DeLillo's \u003cem\u003eUnderworld\u003c\/em\u003e, Jonathan Franzen's \u003cem\u003eThe Corrections\u003c\/em\u003e, Mark Haddon's \u003cem\u003eThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time\u003c\/em\u003e, Patricia Highsmith's \u003cem\u003eRipley under Ground\u003c\/em\u003e, Ian McEwan's \u003cem\u003eAtonement\u003c\/em\u003e, John le Carré's \u003cem\u003eThe Constant Gardener\u003c\/em\u003e, Philip Roth's \u003cem\u003eThe Human Stain\u003c\/em\u003e, Jonathan Safran Foer's \u003cem\u003eEverything Is Illuminated\u003c\/em\u003e, and Zadie Smith's \u003cem\u003eWhite Teeth\u003c\/em\u003e. He highlights how these acclaimed authors use some of the basic elements of fiction. Some topics (like plot, dialogue, or location) will appear familiar to most novel readers, while others (meta-narrative, prolepsis, amplification) will open readers' eyes to new ways of understanding and appreciating the writer's craft. Mullan also excels at comparing modern and classic authors--Nick Hornby's adoption of a female narrator is compared to Daniel Defoe's; Ian McEwan's use of weather is set against Austen's and Hardy's.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow Novels Work\u003c\/em\u003e explains how the pleasures of novel reading often come from the formal ingenuity of the novelist, making visible techniques and effects we are often only half-aware of as we read. It is an entertaining and stimulating volume that will captivate anyone who is interested in the contemporary or the classical novel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John Mullan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0199281777\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780199281770\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/07\/2006\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 358\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.24lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.76h x 5.68w x 0.94d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/10\/2007 pg. 29\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/18\/2006","brand":"John Mullan","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46024648458495,"sku":"9780199281770","price":51.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_41d1842e-6634-4ce2-8bdc-b6b7dbb62350.jpg?v=1723128891","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/how-novels-work-john-mullan-9780199281770","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}