Assembled from Ayn Rand's own 1958 lecture notes on the craft of fiction writing, this posthumously published guide walks through theme, plot, characterization, and style, dissecting real novels line by line — including her own — to show what separates the Romantic from the Naturalistic writer.
Books mentioned in The Art of Fiction (30)
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: “Take Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, the novel most typical of the Naturalistic school.”
Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis: “"Take the description of a doctor's office in the first chapter of Sinclair Lewis's Arrowsmith..." — extensively quoted and analyzed throughout, including a full excerpt ("From Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis").”
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: “The beginning of the chapter 'Account Overdrawn' in Atlas Shrugged is a montage...”
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand: “With the publication of The Fountainhead, she achieved a spectacular and enduring success.”
We the Living by Ayn Rand: “In We the Living, I had a lot of journalistic references: specific dates, the Lenin-Trotsky split, and so forth.”
Anthem by Ayn Rand: “To begin with, there are stories laid in the future, as, for instance, Atlas Shrugged and Anthem, Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-four, and a whole string of older books.”
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell: “...as, for instance, Atlas Shrugged and Anthem, Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-four, and a whole string of older books.”
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo: “"What I have so far described of Notre-Dame de Paris is not the plot, but the plot-theme." — plus a full excerpt ("From Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo [translated by Ayn Rand]").”
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo: “The theme of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables is: the injustice done to the lower classes of society.”
Main Street by Sinclair Lewis: “The theme of Sinclair Lewis's Main Street is the presentation of a typical American small town.”
Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis: “The theme of Sinclair Lewis's Babbitt is the characterization of an average American small businessman.”
Anna Christie by Eugene O'Neill: “This is the pattern of Anna Christie, Anna Lucasta, and many lesser-known stories.”
Anna Lucasta by Philip Yordan: “This is the pattern of Anna Christie, Anna Lucasta, and many lesser-known stories.”
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells: “...Wells's The War of the Worlds, men cannot defeat the Martian invaders, but the germs of the common cold can.”
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: “For instance, the theme of Gone With the Wind is historical, not philosophical—yet, if analyzed, the nature of the events and of the style would reveal the author's philosophy.”
Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand: “Cyrano de Bergerac contains a lot of comedy, all of it aimed at destroying the pretentious or the cowardly.”
Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz: “On the other hand, I consider Quo Vadis, technically, one of the best-constructed novels ever written, yet I do not agree with its message...”
Ivanhoe by Walter Scott: “I recently reread Ivanhoe, which I had not read since age twelve.”
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde: “Henry is a benevolent humorist, as is Oscar Wilde in many of his plays, particularly The Importance of Being Earnest.”
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: “One good aspect of the old silent movie of The Scarlet Letter, starring Lillian Gish, was that it dramatized... important events that in the novel are merely told about.”
The Song of Bernadette by Franz Werfel: “In The Song of Bernadette, the author presents the story of Bernadette of Lourdes [including her divine visions] as if it were fact.”
By Love Possessed by James Gould Cozzens: “Full teaching excerpt: "From By Love Possessed by James Gould Cozzens..."”
The Web and the Rock by Thomas Wolfe: “"If Wolfe wanted to convey the idea of spiritual hunger, and convey it strongly, his task was to find the strongest expression he could..." — plus a full excerpt ("From The Web and the Rock by Thomas Wolfe").”
Of Time and the River by Thomas Wolfe: “Full teaching excerpt: "From Of Time and the River by Thomas Wolfe..."”
One Lonely Night by Mickey Spillane: “Full teaching excerpt: "From One Lonely Night by Mickey Spillane..."”
Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen: “Full teaching excerpt: "From Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen..."”
Star Money by Kathleen Winsor: “Full teaching excerpt: "From Star Money by Kathleen Winsor..."”
Hamlet by William Shakespeare: “He presents his characters by means of their essence—the essence of a dominating father (King Lear), of a doubting intellectual (Hamlet), or of a jealous man (Othello).”
Othello by William Shakespeare: “...of a doubting intellectual (Hamlet), or of a jealous man (Othello).”
King Lear by William Shakespeare: “...the essence of a dominating father (King Lear)...”