The Anatomy of a Review by Raymond Carver

The Anatomy of a Review by Raymond Carver'Theodore Roethke: Anatomy of a Review,' an essay by Raymond Carver that accompanies this new collection of essays, is a lively and fun read. A novelist as well as a scholar of literature, Carver love all forms of literature - from the longform narrative to the memoir, short story and novel. He wants his readers to find joy in every project and to be excited about every text he works on.Carver takes time to describe how writing a novel can differ from writing an essay. First, he states that essays have a clear structure and are structured in specific ways. They tend to start with a thesis statement and end with a conclusion. On the other hand, novels contain no beginning, middle or end but is generally free-flowing and there is no need to have a conclusion.While a writer has control over the structure of the essay, when it comes to novels, nothing stands still. A novel is a work in progress and a writer has to be constantly being aware of what is happening and where the story is headed. A story is like a sponge - when it is not being fed and needs sustenance, it must be shaken off. In this way, a novel can appear to be incomplete but Carver believes that the actual meaning is much larger than any one character.One of the most interesting aspects of Raymond Carver's essay is that it speaks to a very important subject - writing and why some writers succeed and others do not. The most common complaint about writing is that the writer needs to write the same piece of text repeatedly in order to write it well. This is especially true for writers who cannot decide on the size of the word to use. He also makes a great point about the importance of a few key words in a piece of writing.When you use a key word repeatedly, your readers will pick up on it and they will be drawn to your writing. However, if your keywords are too general, your readers will be confused and that's just not helpful. It's important to communicate your me aning clearly and to avoid omitting key words. Carver includes a great example in this essay - that of his own essay 'The Sound and the Fury.'Because Carver frequently uses key words, many people think that he has a knack for writing. This is false, however. He is not a master storyteller and he was often criticized for his non-linear plots. The reason why the first book in his first trilogy, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was so successful is because the first book in the series gave a clear, concise and definite ending, thereby freeing readers to jump right into the second book, The Age of Innocence.Carver writes about how he struggles with the keyword issue, too. He explains how he almost gave up on writing altogether but then he discovered an idea that he realized would bring him success. He writes about a story about a narrator in which the narrator asked readers to imagine him in a pink hat. He describes how this small change transformed the work, completely changing it and allow ing it to reach success.In his essay, 'The Anatomy of a Review,' Carver shares a great deal of important points about how a good writer should write. Whether you are a fiction writer or an essayist, you will learn a lot by reading this great essay and by re-reading this fine collection of essays by Raymond Carver.