On Moral Fiction

On Moral Fiction sparked a maelstrom of debate upon its 1978 publication. The book contended - with a boldness not masked by the author's remarkable modesty - that modern writing suffers primarily from a fundamental failure of the "morality" test. By "moral fiction," the author refers to literature that strives to test universal values - not for the aim of preaching or promoting a specific ideology or code of behavior, but in an honest and open-minded endeavor to determine what promotes human satisfaction most effectively.

As many great artists - starting with Homer - have long recognized, this kind of writing achieves such a feat through analyzing people and situations in a manner that enhances the writer's and reader's comprehension, compassion, and perspective of human possibilities. John Gardner claimed that the failure of so much modern fiction to be ethical in this sense had weakened our experience of reading and our trust in ourselves.

Even though the last decades have seen the emergence of new groups of authors - and the dominance of postmodern styles of creation - On Moral Fiction still outlines a more traditional conception of the novelist's vocation. It is a beneficial counterbalance to prevalent patterns.

Author: John Gardner

Year of Release: 1978

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