Lodge focuses each chapter upon one aspect of the art of fiction, comprising some fifty topics pertaining to novels or short stories by English and American writers. Every chapter also begins with a passage from classic or modern literature that Lodge feels embodies the technique or topic at hand. Some of the topics Lodge analyzes are Beginning (the first chapter), The Intrusive Author, The Epistolary Novel, Magic realism, Irony, symbolism, and Metafiction.
In this book, Lodge delves into various aspects of fiction writing, exploring approximately fifty subjects concerning novels and short stories written by English and American writers. Every chapter begins with an excerpt from renowned literature that Lodge thinks exemplifies the technique or subject matter at hand.