Faulks on Fiction: The Secret Life of the Novel - Hardcover

Faulks, Sebastian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1846079594 ISBN 13: 9781846079597

Publisher: BBC Books, 2011

Synopsis

he British invented the novel, with the publication of Robinson Crusoe in 1719 marking the arrival of a revolutionary and distinctly modern form of art. But it's also true, as Sebastian Faulks argues in this remarkable book, that the novel helped invent the British: for the first time we had stories that reflected the experiences of ordinary people, with characters in which we could find our reality, our understanding and our escape.

In Faulks on Fiction, Faulks examines many of these enduring fictional characters from over the centuries -- Heroes from Tom Jones to John Self, Lovers from Mr Darcy to Lady Chatterly, Villains from Fagin to Barbara Covett, and Snobs from Emma Woodhouse to James Bond -- and shows us how they mapped and inspired the British psyche, and continue to do so.

Published to coincide with a major BBC series, Faulks on Fiction is an engaging and opinionated look at the psychology of the British through their literature, and a unique social history of Britain from one of our most respected writers.
From the Trade Paperback edition.

About this title

About the Author:

SEBASTIAN FAULKS was born and brought up in Newbury, Berkshire. He worked in journalism before starting to write books. He is best known for the French trilogy, The Girl at the Lion d'Or, Birdsong and Charlotte Gray and is also the author of a triple biography, The Fatal Englishman; a small book of literary parodies, Pistache; and the novel Human Traces. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1993 and appointed CBE for services to literature in 2002. He lives in London with his wife and their three children.
From the Trade Paperback edition.

Review:

"Faulks on Fiction is not intended as a formal history of the British novel, but it is much more enjoyable than any history of the novel I have read." -- John Carey Sunday Times "Faulks on Fiction is a fine reminder of why you love the characters you do; and it will serve as an introduction to new friends, too." The Times "It's like finding yourself transported into an intelligent debate about your favourite books... Superb." London Evening Standard "A warm and engaging examination of the novel." Daily Telegraph "... relaxed, sharply observant." The Sunday Times,

About this edition

• Publisher: BBC Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1846079594
• ISBN 13: 9781846079597
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384