The Art of the Novel: Critical Prefaces

PThis collection of prefaces, originally written for the 1909 multi-volume New York Edition of Henry James#8217;s fiction, first appeared in book form in 1934 with an introduction by poet and critic R. P. Blackmur. In his prefaces, James tackles the great problems of fiction writing#8212;character, plot, point of view, inspiration#8212;and explains how he came to write novels such as iThe Portrait of a Lady /iand iThe American/i. As Blackmur puts it, #8220;criticism has never been more ambitious, nor more useful.#8221;PThe latest edition of this influential work includes a foreword by bestselling author Colm T#243;ib#237;n, whose critically acclaimed novel iThe Master/i is told from the point of view of Henry James. As a guide not only to James#8217;s inspiration and execution, but also to his frustrations and triumphs, this volume will be valuable both to students of James#8217;s fiction and to aspiring writers.