Why read novels? Jonathan Franzen argues in a Harper’s essay that people are drawn to strong fiction because they like to engage in complex stories that don’t have simple resolutions. In Anne Tyler’s first novel, If Morning Ever Comes, the central character, a law student, tries to learn … Read More
Tag: Jonathan Franzen
“I want to be alone, but not too alone.”
I disagree with the description on the back of this book, which says that one of Jonathan Franzen’s “essential themes” is “the hidden persistence of loneliness in postmodern, imperial America.” Rather, it seems to me that in every one of these essays, the narrator discovers that he’s not alone … Read More
“Who is it you are writing for? It surely could not be the average person who just enjoys a good read.”
The reader who asked Jonathan Franzen this question touched a … Read More