{"id":5185,"date":"2010-09-24T17:43:14","date_gmt":"2010-09-24T21:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/?p=5185"},"modified":"2010-10-27T14:13:52","modified_gmt":"2010-10-27T18:13:52","slug":"books-for-the-well-read-narratology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2010\/09\/24\/books-for-the-well-read-narratology\/","title":{"rendered":"Books for the Well-Read; Narratology"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"My ex-boyfriend\u2019s birthday is fast approaching. He\u2019s not just any ex\u2014he\u2019s The Ex, the one responsible for approximately ninety percent of my current taste in books, film, and music. We\u2019re still friends, and I want to buy him a book, but I\u2019m stuck. What do you buy for the man who’s read everything, and introduced you to all the authors you love? <\/em> \u2014Joelle D.<\/p>\n

Come with a backup. My friend Jennifer and I tend to like the same books, but she has read much, much more than I have. So a few years ago, when I gave her Henry Green\u2019s novel Loving<\/a><\/em>, I kept stashed away (already wrapped up) J. R. Ackerley\u2019s memoir My Father and Myself<\/a><\/em>. She’d read both, as it turned out … but claimed that she had been \u201cmeaning to reread Ackerley for years.\u201d It was such a nice lie. I hope your ex would say the same were he in her shoes. He sounds lucky to have you!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m seeking advice for books more on the technical side. I recently read Elif Batuman\u2019s wonderful piece<\/a> in the <\/em>London Review of Books on Mark McGurl\u2019s <\/em>The Program Era. As a writer, I was intrigued by her discussion of narratology\u2014a word, I must admit, I didn\u2019t even know existed. What are some good books on the subject that would be useful for someone seeking to write and study the craft of writing? Preferably one that will not bore me to tears. I often struggle with narrative and voice, and I think some insight would be helpful. I just picked up a copy of Calvino\u2019s <\/em>Uses of Literature. \u2014Stu<\/p>\n

I\u2019m afraid readers of the Daily already know my high opinion of James Wood\u2019s How Fiction Works<\/a><\/em>. But really, that\u2019s the book you want. It provides a good first brush with narratology (the study of narrative structure). You will find the bibliography helpful, too. Unlike most narratologists, Wood has the aspiring writer in mind. And he is never boring!<\/p>\n

Have a question for <\/em>The Paris Review? E-mail<\/a> us.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My ex-boyfriend\u2019s birthday is fast approaching. He\u2019s not just any ex\u2014he\u2019s The Ex, the one responsible for approximately ninety percent of my current taste in books, film, and music. We\u2019re still friends, and I want to buy him a book, but I\u2019m stuck. What do you buy for the man who’s read everything, and introduced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[57,925,17,431,924,926,75],"class_list":["post-5185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ask-the-paris-review","tag-advice","tag-backups","tag-books","tag-elif-batuman","tag-james-wood","tag-narratology","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBooks for the Well-Read; Narratology by Lorin Stein<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"September 24, 2010 \u2013 My ex-boyfriend\u2019s birthday is fast approaching. 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