On Becoming a Novelist Papers & Assignment Topics

Essay Topics/Writing Assignments

These 20 essay questions can be used as essay questions on a test, or as stand-alone essay topics for a take-home or in-class writing assignment. Students should have a full understanding of the text in order to answer these questions. They ask for a thorough analysis of the text.

1. Describe the biographical history of John Gardner. How did he come to writing? What was his childhood like? Where did he study?

2. Discuss the career of Raymond Carver. How did he come to study with John Gardner? What does he relate of his experiences as Gardner's student?

3. What does Gardner mean in Chapter 1 when he refers to "verbal sensitivity"? What does this phrase mean and not mean to the author?

4. Compare the language and characterizations of Shakespeare, Dylan Thomas, and John Updike. How do these authors approach character differently?