This is a book about books, novels in particular: how they work, what they are about, what makes them good or bad and how to talk about them to kindred spirits.People of all ages, classes and nationalities read novels for much the same variety of reasons - to escape pain or danger, to discover the past or experience the future, to look into the intimate details of other people's lives. Since classical times readers have been sharing their experiences of literature, today they often do so in the context of a book group. Using a variety of exemplary texts How to Read a Novel forms a series of intelligent conversations, supplying readers with new questions to ask about what they read and the means and confidence to ask those questions. The word 'reading', as we customarily use it, is a very blunt instrument. We assume it's rather like riding a bicycle. You can do it (you're literate) or you can't (you're illiterate). In fact, reading well is almost as difficult as writing well. This is a kind of guidebook on how to do it.
- ISBN10 0312359888
- ISBN13 9780312359881
- Publish Date 31 October 2006 (first published 10 August 2006)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 22 September 2016
- Publish Country US
- Imprint St. Martin's Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 263
- Language English