Paths of Resistance: The Art and Craft of the Political Novel

by William Zinsser, Marge Piercy, Charles McCarry

Five novelists examine the correlation between their writing and their sense of social responsibility, emphasizing how good political fiction deepens the reader's awareness of the urgency of modern society

Genres: Writing

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1989

About the author

William Knowlton Zinsser is an American writer, editor, literary critic, and teacher. He began his career as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune, where he worked as a feature writer, drama editor, film critic, and editorial writer. He has been a longtime contributor to leading magazines.

Reviews

[Jocelyn Paige Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a collection of five lectures given at The New York Public Library back in 1989. Robert Stone, Isabel Allende, Charles McCarry, Marge Piercy and Gore Vidal express diverse views on the general topic of political novel writing. Stone’s lecture “We Are Not Excused” shed’s light on his view to explore humanity’s failings, how politics not only affects the world, but each of us as individuals. Allende takes a noble view, speaking of her writing as not only a means to reach her readers spiritually and emotionally, but also in the great “act of hope” to create change. McCarry believes political writing is writing what you believe to be true and not what you know to be true. Novelists have to be “heartless observers,” he argues. These first three lectures were rewarding to read, made me consider why and how writers choose their subject matter. Or more importantly, how subject matter chooses them. The first three lectures rekindle my love of writing and reminded me of why I write.

The last two lectures I felt were the most meaningful to me as a writer. Piercy touches on the process of writing, how she comes to the act of writing and rewriting, and what political fiction means to her on a personal level. Piercy is strong about her identity as a political writer, and not just as poet as she stresses in the beginning. I found Piercy’s insights into the writing process itself most valuable.

Vidal is very much Vidal. His lecture highlights the politics of political writing. Vidal’s prime argument is that all history is is “agreed upon facts” and those facts change with each revisioning of history by the next age of historians. Every person is a critic, and not everyone deals with criticism well.

If you’re looking for a book to give you some perspectives on writers who write to create social change or to gain some insight into the process of writing, I recommend this book.

[Henry Sturcke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This didn't excite me as much as the other three volumes in the Writer's Craft series. Nothing in the lectures by Robert Stone, Isabel Allende, Charles McCarry or Marge Piercy made me want to go on to read what they have written; in a couple of cases (not naming names), it made me fairly sure I wouldn't. Perhaps the topic encouraged less insight into the craft of writing. In its place, sentiments that might fit better on a picket line sign.
Then again, there was Gore Vidal. His essay was well-constructed, entertaining, scurrilous and informative, just like the best of his writing. I read the essay, then, before the evening was over, read it out loud to my wife. That essay alone saved the book for me.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short book with some good quotes, and tips about how to tell stories to change the world. The list at the end with recommended reading from the writers is valuable too.
The Vidal essay was the most interesting to me, because it gets at what truth is. It reveals what a thorough scholar he was, becoming an expert on the facts before he wrote his novels. And then he defended himself against his critics by going back to the facts. Unfortunately, even non-fiction today doesn't often rise to this standard. Yet if we want to make the world a better place, we need to start from reality, not self-serving delusions.