An Examination of the literary influences on john irving

In 1978, I read “The World According to Garp.” I was enthralled. John Irving writes big, lengthy novels that most often include extraordinary characters in extraordinary situations. Irving has stated that his role models have been Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy and the “New Englanders” Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne because he admired their “long, plotted novels.” The site attempts to examine the characteristics of the authors and narratives that have influenced John Irving.