Mini-Reviews of Books Read, December 2011

   Mini-reviews of books I read last month: three non-fiction books.  Two are about
   writing: "The Art of Fiction" being broader in scope, while "Confessions of a
   Young Novelist" is a bit deeper and contains a more personal perspective.  The
   third book is about (arguably) the father of modern political science, Niccolò
   Machiavelli.


   1. "The Art of Fiction" by David Lodge
     <http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fiction/dp/0140174923>

   This book provides insights into the art and craft of writing fiction, using
   examples from a large cross-section of classic and contemporary literature.
   Most of the fifty short chapters originally appeared as articles in the
   "Independent on Sunday".  Many genres, techniques and other elements of fiction
   and story-telling are covered.  For example, there are chapters on suspense,
   magic realism, time-shift, names, lists, symbolism, chapters, titles, beginnings
   and endings.  Each chapter begins with one or more passages from works of
   fiction.  The next few pages explain and discuss the relevant concept.

   The author has written several novels, so this is not just a dry series of
   essays written by a theorist.  Obviously, avid readers and aspiring writers
   will find this a useful guide.  But even casual readers can benefit from the
   examples and observations presented.


   2. "Confessions of a Young Novelist" by Umberto Eco
     <http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Novelist/dp/0674058690>

   Umberto Eco is an Italian semiotician (studier of signs and symbols), literary
   critic, essayist, author and philosopher.  This is the text of a series of
   lectures on literature.  The title is ironic, since Eco was in his seventies at
   the time.  His argument is that he had become a published author when he was
   almost fifty, so he is still a relative newcomer.

   The first chapter, tongue-in-cheekily entitled "Writing from Right to Left",
   covers his writing process.  His first novel, "The Name of the Rose", was set in
   medieval Italy, one of his long-time interests, and based on years of research.
   For later novels, he maintained his desire for factual accuracy, going so far as
   living in the settings and even enacting scenes where possible.  This is time-
   consuming, and helps explain why Eco has written just six novels in thirty years.
   The second chapter, "Author, Text and Interpretation", gets into some of the
   technicalities of writing, meaning and translation.

   In "Some Remarks on Fictional Characters", Eco provides an overview of types of
   characters, and the obvious and subtle implications of these types.  For example,
   some characters are purely made-up, while others may be actual personages from
   history.  The latter have rich backgrounds, but may restrict an author's freedom
   more than made-up characters.  Sometimes novelists "borrow" a character from
   someone else's novel.  For example, a novel by Philippe Doumenc features the
   ghost of Emma Bovary, and offers an alternative explanation of her death.  The
   last chapter is about lists, which fascinate Eco.  He describes types of lists
   and their utility, then reels off a list of lists collected from literature.

   Eco has spent most of his life in academia and he brings that background to this
   book, so it can get a bit heavy-going.  But there's a lot of interesting
   information and insight in this compact book.


   3. "Introducing Machiavelli" by Patrick Curry and Oscar Zarate
     <http://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Machiavelli/dp/1848311753>

   This graphic guide looks at the life and writings of Niccolò Machiavelli, an
   Italian political thinker from the 16th Century.  He is much-maligned, with his
   name becoming synonymous with cynicism, ruthlessness and expediency in politics.
   His writing is often portrayed as a prescription for how rulers should govern,
   but his intention was to describe human nature as it is and how it can be tamed.

   Machiavelli's most well-known works are "The Prince", which offers advice to
   leaders for a secure state, and "The Discourses", which offers advice to
   citizens for a free state.  "The Prince" and its interpretation are the main
   sources for Machiavelli's negative reputation.  Note that he did not suggest
   leaders should be tyrants to be successful, but rather there are times when
   strong actions are required for the good of the state.  He later refined and
   extended his theories in "The Discourses", and many of these ideas were
   implemented in the development of American and other republican democracies.
   For example, liberty is based on shared civic responsibility, and should be
   subject to checks and balances between the rulers and the governed.

   This is a quick and easy read, helped by the liberal use of drawings.
   Recommended to anyone with a passing interest in politics and government.