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A genuine classic of literary criticism, __On Moral Fiction__ argues that ”true art is by its nature moral.” O n Moral Fiction set off a firestorm of controversy when it was first published in 1978. With a daring not obscured by the authors extraordinary humaneness of spirit, the book argued that contemporary literature suffers first and foremost from a basic failure of the test of morality. By moral fiction the author meant fiction that attempts to test human values, not for the purpose of preaching or peddling a particular ideology or mode of conduct, but in a honest and open-minded effort to find out what best promotes human fulfillment. Such writing does so, as great artists beginning with Homer have always known, by the kind of analysis of characters and actions that brings both the writer and the reader to a fuller understanding, sympathy, and vision of human possibility. Because so much contemporary fiction fails to be moral in this sense, John Gardner argued, it undermines our experience of literature and our faith in ourselves. This bold argument is driven forward as the author subjects the work of his most celebrated contemporaries, such as Saul Bellow, Norman Mailer, John Updike, and Donald Barthelme to his sharp-eyed and relentless analysis. Although the last three decades have seen the rise of new generations of writers, and the ascendancy of postmodern modes of composition, On Moral Fiction still sets out the terms of a more ancient sense of the novelists calling. It is a salutary counterweight to prevailing trends. Praise for On Moral Fiction : On Moral Fiction is criticism with both eyes open, fearless, illuminating, proving that the concern of thecritic is with art, that true art is moral and not trivial, that it and the discussion of it can give pleasureof a sort that lasts and re-echoes. Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times Because Gardners anger is honest and wholesome, the criticism of his contemporaries never descends to mere vindictiveness or gossip.Max Apple, The Nation A thoughtful, amusing and arrogant little book, designed to pick fights."Webster Schott, The Washington Post Book World “Fearless, illuminating” criticism from a New York Times –bestselling author and legendary teacher, “proving . . . that true art is moral and not trivial” ( Los Angeles Times ). Novelist John Gardner’s thesis in On Moral Fiction is simple: “True art is by its nature moral.” It is also an audacious statement, as Gardner asserts an inherent value in life and in art. Since the book’s first publication, the passion behind Gardner’s assertion has both provoked and inspired readers. In examining the work of his peers, Gardner analyzes what has gone wrong, in his view, in modern art and literature, and how shortcomings in artistic criticism have contributed to the problem. He develops his argument by showing how artists and critics can reintroduce morality and substance to their work to improve society and cultivate our morality. On Moral Fiction is an essential read in which Gardner presents his thoughtfully developed criteria for the elements he believes are essential to art and its creation. This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Gardner, including original letters, rare photos, and never-before-seen documents from the Gardner family and the University of Rochester Archives. John Gardner{u2019}s acclaimed search for the lost morality in art and literature Novelist John Gardner{u2019}s thesis in On Moral Fiction is simple: ?True art is by its nature moral.? It is also an audacious statement, as Gardner asserts an inherent value in life and in art. Since the book{u2019}s first publication, the passion behind Gardner{u2019}s assertion has both provoked and inspired readers. In examining the work of his peers, Gardner analyzes what has gone wrong, in his view, in modern art and literature, and how shortcomings in artistic criticism have contributed to the problem. He develops his argument by showing how artists and critics can reintroduce morality and substance to their work to improve society and cultivate our morality. On Moral Fiction is an essential read in which Gardner presents his thoughtfully developed criteria for the elements he believes are essential to art and its creation. This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Gardner, including original letters, rare photos, and never-before-seen documents from the Gardner family and the University of Rochester Archives Argues that great moral fiction has open-mindedly tested human values in an attempt to discover what best promotes human fulfillment and that current fiction fails to do so and, thus, undermines our experience of literature and our faith in ourselves. A BOOK as wide-ranging as this one needs a governing metaphor to give it at least an illusion that all is well: It was said in the old days that every year Thor made a circle around Middle-earth, beating back the enemies of order.