Essays in the Art of Writing Robert Louis 9788826422121 Books
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There is nothing more disenchanting to man than to be shown the springs and mechanism of any art. All our arts and occupations lie wholly on the surface; it is on the surface that we perceive their beauty, fitness, and significance; and to pry below is to be appalled by their emptiness and shocked by the coarseness of the strings and pulleys. In a similar way, psychology itself, when pushed to any nicety, discovers an abhorrent baldness, but rather from the fault of our analysis than from any poverty native to the mind. And perhaps in æsthetics the reason is the same those disclosures which seem fatal to the dignity of art seem so perhaps only in the proportion of our ignorance; and those conscious and unconscious artifices which it seems unworthy of the serious artist to employ were yet, if we had the power to trace them to their springs, indications of a delicacy of the sense finer than we conceive, and hints of ancient harmonies in nature.
Essays in the Art of Writing Robert Louis 9788826422121 Books
I was led to this book by reading Andrew Lang's reflections on Robert Louis Stevenson in his Adventures Among Books. Lang was enamored by Stevenson's writing, as am I. However, a lot of Stevenson's own writing about writing left me less than satisfied. I didn't find the TOC in this edition for Kindle to be active (although a previous one did); however, the footnotes are.The first chapter, "On Some Technical Elements of Style in Literature," was perhaps the most practical for writers, but it was almost as tedious to read as the essay's title suggests. Other essays, like "Books Which Have Influenced Me," were far more interesting in helping to uncover how Stevenson's thinking was shaped by a few important authors. "Not all men can read all books," he wrote, "it is only in a chosen few that any man will find his appointed food." In the essay, "A Note on Realism," Stevenson discusses the change in literature in his day, the move away from idealism to realism. There is a danger in realism, he cautions, of sacrificing beauty and significance while pursuing the passion missing in idealism. "Breathing as we do the intellectual atmosphere of our age, we are more apt to err upon the side of realism than to sin in quest of the ideal."
That last 3 essays in this volume move away from technical and obscure information about writing to useful discussions about 2 of his own books. The essay about his first novel, and my favorite, Treasure Island, was very enjoyable. I was surprised to learn that what began as a map he drew of an imaginary island grew to be the adventure story that has influenced practically all other pirate stories. He claims to have taken inspiration for his characters from numerous literary sources. But the plot was rooted in his map. The concluding chapters are about another of his novels, The Master of Ballantrae. The first of these concerns the genesis of story. The last chapter is the make-believe preface he added to the second edition of the novel.
Altogether, these 7 essays, some more helpful or more appealing than others, reveal the sources and processes Stevenson and other writers use. While there is some help here in understanding the mind of this great writer, the general audience may not find a great deal of pleasure in them. Better for most of us just to jump right into reading his classic stories.
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Essays in the Art of Writing Robert Louis 9788826422121 Books Reviews
Finished this book yesterday and have been stewing over it. I was rather disappointed with this selection. Although the word "Art" is used in the title, it was not written artfully. It took a very beautiful form of expression and turned it into something mechanical. I am sure there are others who may enjoy it, but was not one of them. I had to force myself to read it. At times, I felt as if I was reading a thesaurus as words were piled one on another. The art of writing was not to be found in this publication, at least for me.
candid insight into RLS's development as a writer and storyteller. Entertaining but thoughtful way of seeing into a writer's way of working. Gives an appreciation of the skill of writing, and also the skill and delight of reading.
A very good read. Thank you!
There are many great writers today, but when you have the guidance from on of the world's masters in your own home, well it just can't be beat in my opinion!
Learned something new.
If this is really Essays in the Art of Writing by Robert Louis Stevenson (Author), how on earth was thee a heading "WEB" about a tenth of the way into this wordy account about nothing other that a few good quotes padded out with aimless verbal wanderings?
I really don't have much to say about this, except that the essays collected here are very much of their time. Which, I suppose, says something about the more contemporary books on writing I've read are they very much of our time? Do any of them represent timeless truths about writing?
For example, Stevenson goes off on the dialogue of "realism," suggesting that dialogue in fiction should be more, well, elegant. And I get that when it works, as in for example, Jack Vance's work, it's beautiful. But I also like dialogue that sounds like something somebody could actually say in the circumstances.
Probably the most entertaining-to-me essay here is the one on the birth of "Treasure Island." It seems that RLS started with a map and wrote based on it. He wrote it for family, reading it at a chapter a night. And his original title was "The Sea Cook," which is quite accurate but decidedly less exciting.
I was led to this book by reading Andrew Lang's reflections on Robert Louis Stevenson in his Adventures Among Books. Lang was enamored by Stevenson's writing, as am I. However, a lot of Stevenson's own writing about writing left me less than satisfied. I didn't find the TOC in this edition for to be active (although a previous one did); however, the footnotes are.
The first chapter, "On Some Technical Elements of Style in Literature," was perhaps the most practical for writers, but it was almost as tedious to read as the essay's title suggests. Other essays, like "Books Which Have Influenced Me," were far more interesting in helping to uncover how Stevenson's thinking was shaped by a few important authors. "Not all men can read all books," he wrote, "it is only in a chosen few that any man will find his appointed food." In the essay, "A Note on Realism," Stevenson discusses the change in literature in his day, the move away from idealism to realism. There is a danger in realism, he cautions, of sacrificing beauty and significance while pursuing the passion missing in idealism. "Breathing as we do the intellectual atmosphere of our age, we are more apt to err upon the side of realism than to sin in quest of the ideal."
That last 3 essays in this volume move away from technical and obscure information about writing to useful discussions about 2 of his own books. The essay about his first novel, and my favorite, Treasure Island, was very enjoyable. I was surprised to learn that what began as a map he drew of an imaginary island grew to be the adventure story that has influenced practically all other pirate stories. He claims to have taken inspiration for his characters from numerous literary sources. But the plot was rooted in his map. The concluding chapters are about another of his novels, The Master of Ballantrae. The first of these concerns the genesis of story. The last chapter is the make-believe preface he added to the second edition of the novel.
Altogether, these 7 essays, some more helpful or more appealing than others, reveal the sources and processes Stevenson and other writers use. While there is some help here in understanding the mind of this great writer, the general audience may not find a great deal of pleasure in them. Better for most of us just to jump right into reading his classic stories.
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