This book has a lot of the lessons you might have gotten from a professor in your classes on literature or creative writing. Francine Prose likes the classics, and she dissects them; not for the quality of their plot, but for the quality of their words. She teaches us what the great writers did that made their works great, which is useful. Reading a lot of books, it would make sense for me to notice the good and useful techniques of others.
Most books I've read so far on writing have focused mainly on producing a sellable novel, which is a pretty normal goal, completely ignored by Francine Prose. So there is the goal of getting published and the aspiration of creating great literature, but what about retaining a love for the work? There must also be a book on that, somewhere.
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