Used book, *Aspects of the Novel* [90% new]

"Aspects of the Novel" is E.M. Forster's only work of literary criticism. It originated from a series of lectures the author delivered in 1927 at his alma mater, Cambridge University, as part of the "Clark Lectures." In these lectures, he systematically and deeply explained and discussed various aspects of the novel as a literary genre, including its subject matter, content, and artistic forms. The author divided the art of the novel into seven aspects: story, people, plot, fantasy, prophecy, pattern, and rhythm. He explained and analyzed these concepts from simple to complex, and from easy to difficult, drawing on his own personal creative experience as a master novelist to empathize with and shed light on numerous famous authors and works throughout the history of the novel. His insights were unique and profound, yet his style was light-hearted and humorous, like a casual conversation.

In this series of lectures, Forster discussed the relationship between the novel and reality, proposing that the novel is both greater than and less than reality. He put forward the famous concepts of "flat characters" and "round characters," which have become frequently used terms by later critics. He also advanced the famous idea that "the function of the novelist is to reveal hidden life at its roots." His explorations of narrative perspective and artistic forms such as pattern and rhythm were particularly pioneering and insightful. "Aspects of the Novel" is still considered one of the most important classic works of novel aesthetics of the twentieth century.