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Felicity, July 18, 2009 (view all comments by Felicity)
This is an excellent book about fiction, why (in one practitioner's opinion) to write it, read it, and value it. Flannery O'Connor has a matter-of-fact approach to big topics like the philosophy of art, and suffers neither fools nor mediocrity. This collection of her lectures and essays is so pithy that I was often moved to jot down quotes for later use. Some of these follow my review. O'Connor has much to say that is wise and useful, and nothing that pulls its punches. The book is one of those rare and fabulous writing craft books that made me laugh out loud.

The last part of the volume, which concerns being a Catholic writer, writing the Catholic novel, et cetera, is of less use to a non-Catholic or non-Christian writer. However, some of the sections in the first part of the work where the author discusses how her religion supplies the Mystery for her art are useful to any writer interested in the sources of creativity.

Quotes:
"Fiction begins where human knowledge begins -- with the senses -- and every fiction writer is bound by this fundamental aspect of his medium."

"Art is a word that immediately scares people off, as being a little too grand. But all I mean by art is writing something that is valuable in itself and that works in itself."

"It's always necessary to remember that the fiction writer is much less immediately concerned with grand ideas and bristling emotions than he is with putting list slippers on clerks." (example of the clerk from Mme. Bovary)

"There is no excuse for anyone to write fiction for public consumption unless he has been called to do so by the presence of a gift. It is the nature of fiction not to be good for much unless it is good in itself."

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uwant2know, November 19, 2007 (view all comments by uwant2know)
All English is someones view, this book again just someone elses view on how English should be.

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RobTheVaughn, August 25, 2007 (view all comments by RobTheVaughn)
O'Connor, one of America's finest writers, was also an expert speaker - able to write speeches as effective and amazing as her fiction. This collection will be greatly enjoyed by fans of her work who wish to understand some of the thinking behind them, or for anyone interested in the art & process of writing. Buy this book before you waste money on a writing workshop, because O'Connor understood writing far better than than workshop "experts". After all, those who can't do, teach. O'Connor proves in these writings that she was a do'er, not a talker.

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Product Details

ISBN:

9780374508043

Subtitle:

Occasional Prose

Editor:

Fitzgerald, Saly

Editor:

Fitzgerald, Sally; Fitzgerald, Robert

Editor:

Fitzgerald, Saly

Author:

O'Connor, Flannery

Editor:

Fitzgerald, Sally

Author:

Fitzgerald, Sally

Publisher:

Farrar Straus Giroux

Location:

New York

Subject:

General

Subject:

Literary

Subject:

Fiction

Subject:

Essays

Edition Description:

Revised

Series Volume:

29

Publication Date:

January 1969

Binding:

Paperback

Language:

English

Illustrations:

Y

Pages:

256

Dimensions:

8.20x5.68x.72 in. .51 lbs.