To Show and to Tell : The Craft of Literary Nonfiction

Introduction; Part I: The Craft of Personal Narrative; Chapter 1: The State of Nonfiction Today; Chapter 2: On the Necessity of Turning Oneself into a Character; Chapter 3: Reflection and Retrospection: A Pedagogic Mystery Story; Chapter 4: How Do You End an Essay?; Chapter 5: The Uses of Contrariety; Chapter 6: Imagination Thin and Thick; Chapter 7: Facts Have Implications: Or, is Nonfiction Really Fiction?; Chapter 8: On the Ethics of Writing about Others; Chapter 9: Modesty and Assertion; Chapter 10: On Writers' Journals; Chapter 11: The Essay: Exploration or Argument?;Distinguished author Phillip Lopate, editor of the celebrated anthology The Art of the Personal Essay, is universally acclaimed as "one of our best personal essayists" (Dallas Morning News). Here, combining more than forty years of lessons from his storied career as a writer and professor, he brings us this highly anticipated nuts-and-bolts guide to writing literary nonfiction. A phenomenal master class shaped by Lopate's informative, accessible tone and immense gift for storytelling, To Show and To Tell reads like a long walk with a favorite professor'refreshing, insightful, and encouraging in often unexpected ways. A Long-awaited New Book On Personal Writing From Lopate--the Celebrated Essayist And The Director Of Columbia University's Nonfiction Program. He Provides The Nuts And Bolts, Offering A Refreshing New Master Class On The Craft Of The Personal Narrative, Including The Personal Essay And Memoir. I. The Craft Of Personal Narrative : The State Of Nonfiction Today -- On The Necessity Of Turning Oneself Into A Character -- Reflection And Retrospection : A Pedagogic Mystery Story -- How Do You End An Essay? -- The Uses Of Contrariety -- Imagination Thin And Thick -- Facts Have Implications : Or, Is Nonfiction Really Fiction? -- On The Ethics Of Writing About Others -- Modesty And Assertion -- On Writers' Journals -- The Essay : Exploration Or Argument? -- The Made-up Self : On The Difficulty Of Turning Oneself Into A Character -- Research And Personal Writing -- The Lyric Essay -- The Personal Essay In The Age Of Facebook -- Ii. Studies Of Practitioners : Lamb's Essays Of Elia -- Hazlitt On Hating -- How I Became An Emersonian -- Teaching James Baldwin -- Edward Hoagland : The Dean Of American Essayists -- The Memoir And Its Critics : Two Takes. Phillip Lopate. Includes Bibliographical References. Introduction Part I: The Craft of Personal Narrative Chapter 1: The State of Nonfiction Today Chapter 2: On the Necessity of Turning Oneself into a Character Chapter 3: Reflection and Retrospection: A Pedagogic Mystery Story Chapter 4: How Do You End an Essay? Chapter 5: The Uses of Contrariety Chapter 6: Imagination Thin and Thick Chapter 7: Facts Have Implications: Or, is Nonfiction Really Fiction? Chapter 8: On the Ethics of Writing about Others Chapter 9: Modesty and Assertion Chapter 10: On Writers' Journals Chapter 11: The Essay: Exploration or Argument? Chapter 12: The Made-Up Self: On the Difficulty of Turning Oneself into a CharacterChapter 13: Research and Personal Writing Chapter 14: The Lyric Essay Chapter 15: The Personal Essay in the Age of Facebook Part II: Studies of Practitioners Chapter 16: Lamb's Essays of Elia Chapter 17: Hazlitt on Hating Chapter 18: How I Became an Emersonian Chapter 19: Teaching James Baldwin Chapter 20: Edward Hoagland: The Dean of American Essayists Chapter 21: The Memoir and its Critics: Two Takes Acknowledgments Reading List About the Author Copyright. A long-awaited new book on personal writing from Phillip Lopate—celebrated essayist, the director of Columbia University's nonfiction program, and editor of The Art of the Personal Essay . Distinguished author Phillip ​Lopate, editor of the celebrated anthology The Art of the Personal Essay, is universally acclaimed as "one of our best personal essayists" ( Dallas Morning News ). Here, combining more than forty years of lessons from his storied career as a writer and professor, he brings us this highly anticipated nuts-and-bolts guide to writing literary nonfiction. A phenomenal master class shaped by Lopate's informative, accessible tone and immense gift for storytelling, To Show and To Tell reads like a long walk with a favorite professor—refreshing, insightful, and encouraging in often unexpected ways. "Lopate is both legatee and guardian of the genre." — Publishers Weekly "An essay authority who knows his territory down to his bones." — The Christian Science Monitor A long-awaited and illuminating book on personal writing from Phillip Lopate—celebrated essayist, professor of writing at Columbia University, and editor of The Art of the Personal Essay.Distinguished author Phillip Lopate, editor of the celebrated anthology The Art of the Personal Essay, is universally acclaimed as “one of our best personal essayists” (Dallas Morning News). Here, combining more than forty years of lessons from his storied career as a writer and professor, he brings us this highly anticipated nuts-and-bolts guide to writing literary nonfiction. A phenomenal master class shaped by Lopate's informative, accessible tone and immense gift for storytelling, To Show and To Tell reads like a long walk with a favorite professor—refreshing, insightful, and encouraging in often unexpected ways.