A Manual of the Art of Fiction

Choices about plot, character and setting become subjects for systematic study in Clayton Meeker Hamilton's guide to writing fiction. Prepared for schools and colleges, this revised and enlarged version of Materials and Methods of Fiction moves from the purpose of storytelling to the practical work of arranging a narrative. Chapters examine realism and romance, point of view, emphasis and style, as well as the different demands of novels and short stories.

The treatment of setting shows how Hamilton turns a broad principle into concrete examples. A house or landscape may shape events, influence a character or become the strongest force in a story. Weather can contribute atmosphere, reflect a mood or work against it. His comparisons draw on particular literary works to explain these distinctions. The manual offers students of writing and attentive readers a vocabulary for discussing how stories are constructed and how each choice affects the whole.