Expectations
What the Novelists thought going in.
Library Journal asked the writers of spring '77 to comment on the current status of fiction. They took a clear-eyed view of the challenges before them, but most were optimistic.
"Often, when I ask some casual acquaintances whether they have read this or that novel I hear the answers: 'I never read fiction' or 'No, I don't have time to read novels.'" George Blagowidow
"I think that the status of American fiction is probably at its lowest point." Edward Bonetti
"I do believe there will always be writers, because there will always be men and women who find writing the only way they can, as they must, perpetually sort out and define themselves." George C. Chesbro
"[P]eople will continue to write in this distinctly non-cadaverous form; novels such as Ragtime and Kinflicks prove that reports of its death are greatly exaggerated...." Robert Lee Hall
"The current status of fiction in our society is a necessity to modern life." Mary H. Hollingsworth
"As for the present state of fiction, I fear for it for two reasons: first, there's far too much trash being written for the obvious commercial reasons; and second, perhaps far more important, is the fact that people seem to be reading less every year." Paul D. King
"For me, fiction is the best way first to find the truth and then to tell it." Beverly Lowry
"This is the harsh reality of the living room, where the bookshelf must compete uneasily with the television set that stands in front of it." Robert Mayer
"My feelings about the novel--alive and healthy, changing, evolving. Those who say it's dead are sour grapes." C.E. Poverman
"Fiction is taking a beating. But it is also being reborn, into new, strange, and strangely entertaining forms." Rob Swigart
"People are always eager for a good story, well-told. If writers can remember this, then I think that the novel will continue to be alive and well." Nancy Zaroulis