Vincent McHugh (1904–1983)

McHugh digs Kenneth Burke, and uses the premier American literary critic, as a discussion point of what is and is not a novel. He also has high regard for Henry James, so he is very much an American Modern Lit man; though at points he goes into historical relevant pieces as well as some rather avant garde ones. He often compares various points of the novel to short stories, showing where most writer fail; typically in tone and staccato sentencing. Yet he does go beyond that, breaking the novel into its various components of tone, theme, characterization, narration et alia. There is a lot here as in so many ways this is a textbook of How to Read and Write a Novel but not a workbook as there are no assignments.… (mere)