Future Considerations

Abstract

Since this book is more an explanation than an argument, there is no point pretending that it proves a premise. It consists of a review of how Richards values and interacts with his fictional world over the course of his long career and how understanding this assists in appreciating his individual novels. This is one of several possible guides to reading Richards, but it is still an especially appropriate one because of his full awareness that he writes about a fictional world and his concern with making his fictional world relevant to understanding the real world. Implicit in this study is the premise that most writers can be approached through their fictional worlds, even though some will barely be conscious that they have one and very few will be as conscious of it as Richards. That premise is secondary to the main concern, since the value of the approach depends on so many variables. However, even though a study of Richards’ fictional world does not prove general appropriateness for other writers, it does suggest that, while applicability will vary, fictional worlds are worth considering.