Frank Kermode and L C Knights were both Cambridge men.
Frank Kermode said that the test of a good novel was whether it was re-readable.
L C Knights said that the test of a good novel was if he walked more in the world after reading it.
Frank Kermode and L C Knights were both Cambridge men.
Frank Kermode said that the test of a good novel was whether it was re-readable.
L C Knights said that the test of a good novel was if he walked more in the world after reading it.
In honesty I have no prefared writer. But I think the thing that makes a good novel, for me, is if you never forget the story after finishing the book. If the characters stay inside your head and are unforgettable. Also if the novel doesn't leave you feeling cheated of a brilliant ending.
I prefer Frank Kermode's saying. I have loads of novels around my house which I have read a few times.
The problem I have nowadays though is that my memory is getting worse and unless I read a book from cover to cover in 2 or 3 days, I forget what I have read.
So for me the test of a good novel is that it has to be less than 300 pages.