The Golden 80s

Slate picks up the best of 2008. New York Time's 10 Best Books of 2008. Salon's best books of 2008. Time magazine selects Roberto Bolano's novel as the best in 2008. Lastly, the best from the bible of literary criticism, TLS .

"By writing books, the individual becomes a universe. And since the principal quality of the universe is its uniquness, the existence of another universe constitutes a threat to its very existence."

I read the The Art of Fiction by David Lodge in the early 90s. I was very much impressed by the book, which gave an insight into the world of literature. I did keep notes while reading the book and today I decided to put a list of books recommended by the author in various chapters. The books include the following: Defamiliarisation -Villete-Charlotte Bronte. For more on defamiliarisation, click here . Interior Monologue -Ulysses-James Joyce Intrusive Author -Adame Bede (George Orwell), Howard's End (E M Forster), As Good as Gold (Joseph Heller) Suspense -A Pair of Blue Eyes (Thomas Hardy) Skaz -The Catcher in the Rye-J D Salinger. Skaz Epistolary Novels -Pamela and Clarissa (Samuel Richardson), Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen), The Trick of It (Michael Frayn) Mystery Novels -Wilkie Collin's novels, Heart of Darkness(Joseph Conrad), The French Lieutenant's Woman (John Fowles) and Mrs. Bathurst (Rudyard Kipling). Names -The author says that names are never neutral in fic...