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Putting her papers together in the face of her impending death, Jones chose and arranged these lectures, articles, and reviews written between 1978 and 2008 to encapsulate her beliefs about writing, writing for children, and fantasy. Ranging from literary criticism to autobiography, the 28 pieces illustrate her insight, her humor, and the mastery of her craft. She describes how magic and humor work, discusses the nature of heroes, the uses of mythology, and the value of ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

In more than thirty entries, the author of such groundbreaking fantasies as Dogsbody (rev. 6/77) and Howl's Moving Castle (rev. 5/86) explores her art and her peculiar childhood. As Jones told interviewer Charlie Butler shortly before her death in 2011, her books did not so much "lay" to rest things that troubled her as "overlay" them, like translations. Here are such lectures for adults as "The Heroic Ideal," a splendid analysis of Fire and Hemlock (rev. 1/85), perhaps her greatest novel. "Characterization: Advice for Young Writers" might profitably be ta...Log In or Sign Up to Read More