On Moral Fiction

On Moral Fiction is a book-length essay by the American novelist John Gardner published in 1978. (ISBN 0-465-05225-8)

In this work, Gardner attacks what he sees as contemporary literature's lack of morality, which he calls the highest purpose of art and defines in the book. According to Gardner, morality is not an arbitrary construct of society, but an eternal truth, taking on different forms but not essentially changing through the ages. He says that moral fiction "attempts to test human values, not for the purpose of preaching or peddling a particular ideology, but in a truly honest and open-minded effort to find out which best promotes human fulfillment."

Tolstoy, among others, espouses similar views in his essay What is Art?, and Gardner draws upon Tolstoy in his argument.

Bibliography

• On moral fiction. Basic Books. 1979. ISBN 9780465052264. http://books.google.com/books?id=IxGJEX8TaFgC&pg=PA54&dq=John+Gardner+writers&hl=en&ei=IaTNTOSIEsKt8AbU2dz1Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&sqi=2&ved=0CFEQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

This article about an essay or essay collection is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: 1978 essays American non-fiction books Essays in literary criticism Essays by John Gardner (American writer) Essay stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР? Dawn of the Dickies Gyrl grip Look at other dictionaries: moral — moral, ale, aux [ mɔral, o ] adj. et n. m. • 1270; n. m. 1212; lat. moralis, de mores « mœurs » I ♦ Adj. 1 ♦ Qui concerne les mœurs, les habitudes et surtout les règles de conduite admises et pratiquées dans une société. Conscience morale. Sens… …   Encyclopédie Universelle Moral Hazard (novel) — Moral Hazard   Author(s) Kate Jennings …   Wikipedia Fiction — is the telling of stories which are not real. More specifically, fiction is an imaginative form of narrative, one of the four basic rhetorical modes. Although the word fiction is derived from the Latin fingo, fingere, finxi, fictum , to form,… …   Wikipedia Fiction — Fic tion, n. [F. fiction, L. fictio, fr. fingere, fictum to form, shape, invent, feign. See {Feign}.] 1. The act of feigning, inventing, or imagining; as, by a mere fiction of the mind. Bp. Stillingfleet. [1913 Webster] 2. That which is feigned,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English Moral — Mor al, n. 1. The doctrine or practice of the duties of life; manner of living as regards right and wrong; conduct; behavior; usually in the plural. [1913 Webster] Corrupt in their morals as vice could make them. South. [1913 Webster] 2. The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English Moral Landscape — may refer to: In the Science of morality, the peaks and troughs of various ethical systems in maximizing the flourishing of conscious creatures The Moral Landscape (book), a non fiction written by Sam Harris arguing that science can determine… …   Wikipedia FICTION, HEBREW — The Story in Talmudic Midrashic Literature Narrative creative writing has been a constant in Hebrew literature and can be found in every period of Jewish culture. The earliest biblical texts include stories, and the telling and retelling of… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism Fiction writing — This article is about writing fiction prose. For fiction as a concept, see fiction. Fiction writing is any kind of writing that is not factual. Fictional writing most often takes the form of a story meant to convey an author s point of view or… …   Wikipedia Moral — This article is about the use of the moral in storytelling. For other uses, see morality. A moral (from Latin morālis) is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to …   Wikipedia Fiction regarding United States presidential succession — The somewhat elaborate rules and laws governing succession to the Presidency have long provided fodder for creators of fiction. Several novels, films, and television series have speculated regarding the United States presidential line of… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”