A Manual of
THE ART OF FICTION
Prepared for the Use of Schools and Colleges
By
CLAYTON HAMILTON
Member of the National Institute of Arts
and Letters; Extension Lecturer in
English, Columbia University
With an Introduction by
BRANDER MATTHEWS
Member of the American Academy of Arts
and Letters; Professor of Dramatic
Literature, Columbia University
The complete classic course in the art of writing fiction.
Drawing
examples from the works of such masters as Poe, Hawthorne, and Robert
Louis Stevenson, it offers a guided course through such vital topics as
Realism, Plot, Characters, Setting, Point of View, The Epic, Structure
of the Short Story, and much more.
âMr. Hamilton does not take to
the blue empyrean; he remains strictly below, among the definite
substrata. He burrows thoroughly and faithfully. He accomplishes a good
amount of serviceable earthwork and helps ventilate and rearrange the
general soilâŠ.Like that of the Victorians, âwhich is our chief tradition
in the novelâ â a kind of continental welterâŠA cultivation of the sense
of form and proportion ought to add to the readerâs pleasure, and even
to disciple him, in a measure, for the general conduct of life. A burden
shared becomes less onerous.â -Henry B. Fuller, The Dial, Volume 66,
December, 1919
Prepared for the Use of Schools and Colleges
This book is a
complete course in writing fiction. Drawing examples from the works of
such masters as Poe, Hawthorne, and Robert Louis Stevenson, it offers a
guided course through such vital topics as Realism, Plot, Characters,
Setting, Point of View, The Epic, Structure of the Short Story, and much
more.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD vii
INTRODUCTION xiii
I. THE PURPOSE OF FICTION 3
Fiction
a Means of Telling TruthâFact and FictionâTruth and FactâThe Search for
TruthâThe Necessary Triple ProcessâDifferent Degrees of EmphasisâThe
Art of Fiction and the Craft of ChemistryâFiction and RealityâFiction
and HistoryâFiction and BiographyâBiography, History, and
FictionâFiction Which Is TrueâFiction Which Is FalseâCasual Sins against
the Truth in FictionâMore Serious Sins against the TruthâThe Futility
of the AdventitiousâThe Independence of Created CharactersâFiction More
True Than a Casual Report of FactâThe Exception and the LawâTruthfulness
the only Title to ImmortalityâMorality and Immorality in FictionâThe
Faculty of WisdomâWisdom and TechnicâGeneral and Particular
ExperienceâExtensive and Intensive ExperienceâThe Experiencing
NatureâCuriosity and Sympathy.
II. REALISM AND ROMANCE 25
Two
Methods of Exhibiting the TruthâEvery Mind Either Realistic or
RomanticâMarion Crawford's Faulty DistinctionâA Second Unsatisfactory
DistinctionâA Third Unsatisfactory DistinctionâBliss Perry's Negative
DefinitionâThe True Distinction One of Method, Not of
MaterialâScientific Discovery and Artistic ExpressionâThe Testimony of
HawthorneâA Philosophic FormulaâInduction and DeductionâThe Inductive
Method of the RealistâThe Deductive Method of the RomanticâRealism, Like
Inductive Science, a Strictly Modern ProductâAdvantages of
RealismâAdvantages of RomanceâThe Confinement of RealismâThe Freedom of
RomanceâNeither Method Better Than the OtherâAbuses of RealismâAbuses of
Romance.
III. THE NATURE OF NARRATIVE
Transition from Material to MethodâThe Four Methods of Discourseâ1. Argumentation; 2. Exposition; 3. Description; 4. Narration, the Natural Mood of FictionâSeries and SuccessionâLife Is Chronological, Art Is LogicalâThe Narrative SenseâThe Joy of Telling TalesâThe Missing of This JoyâDeveloping the Sense of NarrativeâThe Meaning of the Word ``Event''âHow to Make Things HappenâThe Narrative of ActionâThe Narrative of CharacterâRecapitulation.
IV. PLOT 60
Narrative
a Simplification of LifeâUnity in NarrativeâA Definite Objective
PointâConstruction, Analytic and SyntheticâThe Importance of
StructureâElementary NarrativeâPositive and Negative EventsâThe
Picaresque PatternâDefinition of PlotâComplication of the NetworkâThe
Major Knotâ``Beginning, Middle, and End''âThe Sub-PlotâDiscursive and
Compacted NarrativesâTelling Much or Little of a StoryâWhere to Begin a
StoryâLogical Sequence and Chronological SuccessionâTying and
UntyingâTransition to the Next Chapter.
V. CHARACTERS 77
Characters Should Be Worth KnowingâThe Personal Equation of the AudienceâThe Universal Appeal of Great Fictitious CharactersâTypical TraitsâIndividual TraitsâThe Defect of AllegoryâThe Defect of CaricatureâStatic and Kinetic CharactersâDirect and Indirect DelineationâSubdivisions of Both MethodsâI. Direct Delineation: 1. By Exposition; 2. By Description; [Gradual Portrayal]; 3. By Psychological Analysis; 4. By Reports from other CharactersâII. Indirect Delineation: 1. By Speech; 2. By Action; 3. By Effect on other Characters; 4. By Environment.
VI. SETTING 99
Evolution of Background in the History of PaintingâThe First StageâThe Second StageâThe Third StageâSimilar Evolution of Setting in the History of Fiction: The First StageâThe Second StageâThe Third Stage: 1. Setting as an Aid to Actionâ2. Setting as an Aid to CharacterizationâEmotional Harmony in SettingâThe Pathetic FallacyâEmotional Contrast in SettingâIrony in SettingâArtistic and Philosophical Employmentâ1. Setting as a Motive toward Actionâ2. Setting as an Influence on CharacterâSetting as the Hero of the NarrativeâUses of the WeatherâRomantic and Realistic SettingsâA Romantic Setting by Edgar Allan PoeâA Realistic Setting by George EliotâThe Quality of Atmosphere, or Local ColorâRecapitulation.
VII. THE POINT OF VIEW IN NARRATIVE 120
The Importance of the Point of ViewâTwo Classes, The Internal and the ExternalâI. Subdivisions of the First Class: 1. The Point of View of the Leading Actor; 2. The Point of View of Some Subsidiary Actor; 3. The Points of View of Different Actors; 4. The Epistolary Point of View.âII. Subdivisions of the Second Class:â1. The Omniscient Point of View; 2. The Limited Point of View; 3. The Rigidly Restricted Point of ViewâTwo Tones of Narrative, Impersonal and Personal: 1. The Impersonal Tone; 2. The Personal ToneâThe Point of View as a Factor in ConstructionâThe Point of View as the Hero of the Narrative.
VIII. EMPHASIS IN NARRATIVE 139
Essential
and Contributory FeaturesâArt Distinguishes Between the Two by
EmphasisâMany Technical Devices: 1. Emphasis by Terminal Position; 2.
Emphasis by Initial Position; 3. Emphasis by Pause [Further Discussion
of Emphasis by Position]; 4. Emphasis by Direct Proportion; 5. Emphasis
by Inverse Proportion; 6. Emphasis by Iteration; 7. Emphasis by
Antithesis; 8. Emphasis by Climax; 9. Emphasis by Surprise; 10. Emphasis
by Suspense; 11. Emphasis by Imitative Movement.
IX. THE EPIC, THE DRAMA, AND THE NOVEL 157
Fiction a Generic TermâNarrative in Verse and Narrative in ProseâThree Moods of Fiction: I. The Epic MoodâII. The Dramatic Mood: 1. Influence of the Actor; 2. Influence of the Theatre; 3. Influence of the Audienceâ[Dramatized Novels]âIII. The Novelistic Mood.
X. THE NOVEL, THE NOVELETTE, AND THE SHORT-STORY 172
Novel,
Novelette, and Short-StoryâThe Novel and the NoveletteâThe Short-Story a
Distinct TypeâThe Dictum of PoeâThe Formula of Brander
MatthewsâDefinition of the Short-StoryâExplanation of This Definition:
1. ``Single Narrative Effect''; 2. ``Greatest Economy of Means''; and 3.
``Utmost Emphasis''âBrief Tales That Are Not
Short-StoriesâShort-Stories That Are Not BriefâBliss Perry's
AnnotationsâThe Novelist and the Writer of Short-StoriesâThe Short-Story
More Artistic Than the NovelâThe Short-Story Almost Necessarily
Romantic.
XI. THE STRUCTURE OF THE SHORT-STORY 189
Only
One Best Way to Construct a Short-StoryâProblems of Short-Story
ConstructionâThe Initial PositionâThe Terminal PositionâPoe's Analysis
of ``The Raven''âAnalysis of ``Ligeia''âAnalysis of ``The Prodigal
Son''âStyle Essential to the Short-Story.
XII. THE FACTOR OF STYLE 207
Structure and StyleâStyle a Matter of FeelingâStyle an Absolute QualityâThe Twofold Appeal of LanguageâConcrete ExamplesâOnomatopoetic WordsâMemorable WordsâThe Patterning of SyllablesâStevenson on StyleâThe Pattern of RhythmâThe Pattern of LiterationâStyle a Fine ArtâStyle an Important Aid to FictionâThe Heresy of the AccidentalâStyle an Intuitive QualityâMethods and MaterialsâContent and FormâThe Fusion of Both ElementsâThe Author's PersonalityâRecapitulation.
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