Clayton Hamilton’s Materials and Methods of Fiction, introduced by Brander Matthews, is a detailed study of the novelist’s craft. It examines the raw materials of fiction and the technical methods — structure, point of view, characterization — by which they are shaped into art.
A companion to Hamilton’s other critical works, the book combines analysis with examples from great novelists. It remains a substantial and readable guide for students of how fiction achieves its effects. Download the free EPUB of this thoughtful study of the materials and methods of the novel.