Books inside books

MonsterWithPen · Dec 30, 2011

Is it unprofessional to insert a book inside another book? If the protagonist is reading a book, the contents of which are very important for the story, can I just write the other book in? Or should I insert it in another way?

Hesse did it in Steppenwolf, which is encouraging but you know, I am not Herman Hesse. Which is depressing. *despairs*

Uh, anyway, any opinions?

Thank you!

jaksen · Dec 30, 2011

If you think you can do it, do it! Stephen King did it with 'Misery.' (One of my fav. King novels.)

Grunkins · Dec 30, 2011

Princess Bride!

aadams73 · Dec 30, 2011

One name: Jasper Fforde!

Ari Meermans · Dec 30, 2011

And Margaret Atwood's THE BLIND ASSASSIN.

Donna Brown · Dec 30, 2011

I believe they are called frame stories and, as you can see by the responses, they've been done many times with great success. Good luck with this.

acelticdream · Dec 30, 2011

The Neverending Story movie did this ... a story within a story.

I was going to go that route with my mystery WIP, but I felt I wasn't quite strong enough as a writer to tackle that. BUT, that framed story is still being featured.

MonsterWithPen · Dec 30, 2011

Thank you guys! Confidence boosted! I love you all!

Theo81 · Dec 31, 2011

BEyre said:
The Neverending Story movie did this ... a story within a story.

I was going to go that route with my mystery WIP, but I felt I wasn't quite strong enough as a writer to tackle that. BUT, that framed story is still being featured.

The NeverEnding Story is a novel by a German author called Michael Ende. The films 1 and 2 were based on the book. The English translation I read had 26 chapters whose first letters ran through the alphabet.

Back to the OP: Many, many books have used this device. Just beware of making it an extended infodump - I've read plenty of books (often some very good ones) which do this and end up skipping through these bits.

Old Hack · Dec 31, 2011

Tony and Susan, by Austin Wright.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0446601055/?tag=absowrit-21

It's old, but I thought it was very well done.

lastlittlebird · Dec 31, 2011

Watchmen did this really well.

And then there's House of Leaves. That one has... let's see, a haunted house inside a film inside a book inside another book?
Something like that. And screeds of footnotes.

LindaJeanne · Dec 31, 2011

lastlittlebird said:
And then there's House of Leaves. That one has... let's see, a haunted house inside a film inside a book inside another book?
Something like that. And screeds of footnotes.

Plus, at one point, inside the labyrinth inside the haunted house inside the movie inside book inside the other book a character is reading the same book you are. So on top of everything else, it's recursive

I am very impressed at how the author created an engaging book out of what should have been nothing more than a big ugly pile of WTF.

Jake Barnes · Dec 31, 2011

I'll confess: When I come upon this in a book, I stop reading. It pulls me out of the fictive dream. Which story am I supposed to be following? Both, I suppose as one is there to inform the other; but I am too aware that there's now an Author who is pulling strings. I don't like reading letters, newspaper stories, or excerpts from diaries for the same reason (but since they are short I usually keep reading).

Books inside books

MonsterWithPen

jaksen

Caped Codder

Grunkins

Grand adventurer of the couch

aadams73

A Work in Progress

Ari Meermans

MacAllister's Official Minion & Greeter

Donna Brown

acelticdream

Just me ... dreaming and writing.

MonsterWithPen

Theo81

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

lastlittlebird

avem narrans

LindaJeanne

On a small world west of wonder

Jake Barnes