All writing must have narrative: Letter
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: You quote from Bill Buford's article in the New Yorker, in which he claims that "it is possible that narrative is as important to writing as the human body is to representational painting" ("Modern literary culture has lost the plot", 18 July). Surely this is not comparing like with like?
I would argue that narrative is to writing what composition is to painting. A painter may say that he is not interested in composition, just as a writer may say that he is not interested in narrative - but composition and narrative are still the fundamental component of each medium. As a progression of information, a piece of fiction can have a bad narrative or a dull narrative - but it cannot have no narrative, any more than a painting on canvas can ever have no composition.
STEPHEN VOLK
Bradford on Avon,
Wiltshire
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments