How Fiction Works by James Wood

Published 2008 · 38,000 words · about 3 hours at an average pace · Essays & Criticism, Literary Criticism, Writing & Craft, Nonfiction

How hard is How Fiction Works to read?

How Fiction Works scores 4.3 out of 10 for difficulty, making it moderately challenging.

  • Vocabulary complexity: 4.5 out of 10
  • Sentence structure: 5.0 out of 10
  • Abstract concepts: 5.6 out of 10
  • Information density: 5.8 out of 10

Literary standing

How Fiction Works holds a literary regard score of 7.1 out of 10 on ReadingRate, reflecting its canonical status, critical acclaim, and influence.

About the author

James Wood