H. Rider Haggard’s essay, “On Fiction”, was written in response to literary attacks by “The Dean of American Letters”, William Dean Howells. In the essay, Haggard makes one of the first great arguments for the inherent worth of adventure/fantasy fiction. It remains an early landmark in the field of literary criticism, penned by a titan just coming into his full strength.
Read MoreOne hundred fifty years ago, William Dean Howells fabricated the elitist rules by which American ‘literature’ is guided. American fiction still suffers from his boring legacy. Learning how we got here can help get us out of the pit he dug.
Read MoreDave Wolverton—also known as David Farland—was an acclaimed, bestselling SFF author. In addition to his own work, he mentored numerous other successful authors. Wolverton was also one of the great defenders of the fantasy and sci-fi genres, thanks to his landmark essay, “On Writing as a Fantasist”.
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