Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature

I can recommend this single volume work in the same way I would recommend an encyclopedia, or a toolkit. I really do not expect readers to plow through every chapter, or use every tool in this book of "literary inventions." Some chapters, I found enthralling, exciting and thought provoking. In others I was completely lost. So which is which? I am reminded of the advertising salesman who admitted to a client that, honestly, half of his advertising buy is a waste of money. But, he reminded the client, there was no way to tell which half. Except in this case, there is. The strategy I eventually came up with for this book was the following. At the beginning of each chapter, I checked to determine whether I knew even a little about the books under consideration. This is easy, as each chapter has descriptive sub titles. If, after that quick check, I realized I knew the books, I would read that chapter. If they were books I had no familiarity with, then I skipped the chapter, rather than get bogged down. I will say there is so much densely packed information here that the chapters I did read went slowly It seems to me that this is a book for an English or world literature class, more so than for a general reader. But I must say, if you are in class and this is an assigned book, lucky you. Because this book, supplemented by a competent teacher would really be remarkable educational experience.

I've read almost all my life, and studied nature, science, and the art of literature high and low, for many years, in addition to seeking an understanding of our evolution from microorganisms, through primitive rodents, to the humans of today, and this, I think, is one of the best writing guides I've yet to encounter. The extensively researched narrative exposed me to the evolutionary development of literature, itself, thus adding to my understanding of human evolution. The author's remarkably entertaining and educational efforts are laced with playfulness, his being a teacher deeply familiar with both neurology and narrative. Truly fascinating! As a neophyte novelist, I now can benefit from a better understanding of a whole range of new tools for my endeavors. Thank you so much! Kevin Thomas Morgan.

Promise: Wonderworks reviews the blueprints for twenty-five of the most powerful developments in the history of literature.Stylistically interesting, but often lacks clarity, too lengthy, largely because it is redundant and makes assumptions at times that are backed by scant evidence, fails to accomplish goals and/or promiseThe promise fails: blueprint implies guidelines. The book lacks consistency from chapter to chapter. For instance, there were no obvious categories, such a romance or tragedy or comedy for each of the 25 observations and no patterns were presented. No, “Here are the basic elements.” Instead, we got this is why this excites or helps us – neurology.Is a mix of fiction and nonfiction; falls most clearly into the creative nonfiction category, because it is a personal statement about how the author sees the world and relates to it through literature. I think the book fails because the author tries to disguise the personal aspects of the book and presents it as a nonfiction book.Links between neural processes and PTSD (flight or fight, located in the amygdala) and pleasure; while there is ample evidence that the various centers and organs in the brain do as he claims, there is scant evidence to say that we enjoy literature for the neurological reasons the author claims.My favorite parts of the book were his lose summaries of the plays, novels, and poems that he used as examples. The book was almost of catalogue of summaries of some of the most revered literature of the world.Although I did not always agree with what he claimed were the origins of various literary devices, such as storytelling, he often did use literature from cultures that are often marginalized -- Native American and West African Griot and Chinese -- in Western cultures to make his point. As an emerging poet, I liked that he used poetry often as examples. What became obvious to me while reading this book is that poetry and playwriting are both older than prose writing, i.e. novels, essays, short stories.I did not like his “tangents” into discussions of neuroscience, largely because of the lack of scientific research ungirding his arguments, but also because I think the tangents weren’t segues and were unnecessary. I think it would have been much more effective to just argue that literature helps us cope with the world. Poets, novelists, playwrights, and poets often help us to realize the contexts for expression in humanity. Literature helps us see that we are not alone. We are surrounded by a society that helps shape us emotionally. Why? Is “why” really important to make the author’s point that literature helps us cope? Even if we knew exactly why that would lead us to what? Less humanity? More of it? The author refers to our humanity, our emotionality as the “stretch.” Suddenly the science dissipates. And many of his concepts, such as the “stretch” are grounded in many of the “inventions,” which really makes many of the “inventions” redundant.The only reason I can think of for categorizing the “inventions” as he does is that various inventions have various audiences. For instance, while magical realism tends to be understood by adult audiences, children usually do not understand it. On the other hand, fantasy can contain satire and often contains a story within a story or two stories; one which can be understood on an adult level and one that children can appreciate. In “Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift gives us a fantasy filled with little people a faraway village, while mocking politics and religion.I liked the “human” aspects of his theories, not the pseudoscientific explanations. Which leads me to another issue: self-aggrandizement. Many reviewers point out that the author is a polymath. I believe he is, too, and while I am impressed with his range of knowledge, I think trying to fit that range into one book led the author to miss the point of writing the book: to provide a blueprint for writers to help them design solutions for technical issues within their works, not to provide a platform for the author’s vast knowledge, especially when that knowledge dances around the point of the book. The design is the “technology” that we are to use and has been used to write effective literature, and unless you are also a polymath, you likely will struggle to discern what the elements of the designs are while reading this book.Do I recommend this book: yes! Largely so that you can see what I mean. Lol! You can form your own opinion.

was intrigued by the idea of "literary" inventions.Angus Fletcher has studied and dissected how the psychological impact of literature, and what literature does to achieve that impact.It's what first drew me to books. As a girl, I recognized how books widened my knowledge and understanding, but mostly I was impressed by how they could make me FEEL. Books could make me cry. Make me laugh. Cause all kinds of ideas to spark in my head. I was awed by that power.In Wonderworks, Fletcher takes readers on a historical tour of the great moments in literature, showing the advances in literary tools and how the human brain reacts to cause emotional responses that can heal and enlarge our individual lives.I have never read anything like it.Fletcher's vast knowledge shines as he leads us through his thinking, from one literary achievement to another, showing the development of each "invention". He then parses the reactive brain chemistry that causes the reader's reactions.I enjoyed reading the book one invention at a time. Some inventions were easy to grasp; others took effort. I was familiar with much of the literature used as examples, but was happy to encounter new ones. Like the ancient papyrus text The Wisdom of Ptahhotep, which advises "For as long as you life, follow your heart." At the chapter's end, Fletcher includes books and movies that offer the same psychic value as the literature he has discussed.This is a radical, innovative way of looking at literature. It is provoking.I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.