Book Review, the Writing of Fiction

Edith Wharton, author of The Writing of Fiction, was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize. She won the prize for her first novel: The Age of Innocence.

Wharton lived from 1862 to 1937. In The Writing of Fiction Wharton analyzes the origins of modern fiction, the most estimable authors of her time, and some of the more important parts of any work of fiction.

Wharton rarely wrote works of non-fiction, and while the she is better at showing her prowess in the field of fiction, this book is to be respected. The Writing of Fiction analyzes short stories, novels, and the writing of Marcel Proust. For the purposes of this review we will study Wharton's take on the short story and the novel.

Wharton begins her book with a brief overview of the birth of modern fiction. According to Wharton, the first modern fiction was written by a French author, Madame de la Fayette, who in the 17th century wrote a short story called La Princessee de Cleves. Many believe if modern fiction were to choose its most important predecessors the authors would be Balzac and Stendhal. The masters of fiction, like Balzac and Stendhal, were extremely talented in the basics of writing.

In order to be a successful writer, Wharton writes, you should study the history of art. The fear of being unoriginal and the fear of not writing enough lead to stories that, though possibly original, feel forced. These mistakes show a writer's "immaturity." Instead of focusing on making a story original try to make believable characters and situations.