Project Gutenberg 2004-12-05 Public domain in the USA. 80 Warner, Charles Dudley 1829 1900 Modern Fiction Produced by David Widger "Modern Fiction" by Charles Dudley Warner is a critical examination of contemporary literature, written during the late 19th century. This work falls within the realm of literary criticism and addresses the evolving characteristics and themes of modern novels, particularly focusing on the balance between realism and artistic idealization. Warner explores how fiction should elevate and transform reality rather than merely replicate it, emphasizing the necessity of artistic treatment in storytelling. In this book, Warner argues against what he perceives as a detrimental trend in modern fiction, where authors strive for a photographic fidelity to nature at the expense of artistic merit. He critiques the realism that dominates literature of his time for its tendency to present unidealized and often sordid depictions of life, which he believes devalues the complexity and beauty of storytelling. Throughout the text, he draws on historical examples from authors like Cervantes and Scott to illustrate the need for balance between different social classes in literature while stressing the importance of elevating the narrative through idealization. Warner concludes that the essence of a successful novel lies in its ability to entertain while also offering a compassionate and idealized view of human experience, ultimately serving as a corrective to the darker realities of society. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 49.7 (College-level). Difficult to read. en Literature PS Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches 68494 2025-07-02T05:30:33.793800 text/html 68315 2025-01-08T18:19:00.086535 text/html 97320 2025-07-02T05:30:38.115791 application/epub+zip 96206 2025-07-02T05:30:36.130813 application/epub+zip 85935 2025-07-02T05:30:35.130793 application/epub+zip 170171 2025-07-02T05:30:39.552767 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 163678 2025-07-02T05:30:37.530813 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 128685 2022-09-02T07:37:45.330182 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 60117 2025-07-02T05:30:33.476818 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 60005 2021-01-08T16:40:25 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16924 2025-07-02T05:30:39.676760 application/rdf+xml 11656 2025-07-02T05:30:35.607796 image/jpeg 3095 2025-07-02T05:30:35.369785 image/jpeg 23305 2021-01-08T16:40:25 application/octet-stream application/zip 94250 2025-07-02T05:30:33.800791 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia