“AMOR: I agree entirely. One of the ways I think of it is that the successful novel is a machine for meaning. As you note, the novel has an array of components, such as character, plot, and prose. We can add to this list setting, voice, perspective, structure, imagery, metaphor, allusion, historical reference, dialogue, the expression of ideas and sentiments. A novel is an artistic vehicle that is drawing on all of these elements as part of its composition. The mark of a great novel is that it is engaging as a story, it feels organic in its composition, and yet the way in which all the various components interact creates an infinite number of harmonic combinations in the service of meaning.” (Nancy Pearl and Jeff Schwager, The Writer’s Library)
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