History Creator / JohnIrving

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John Irving is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of over a dozen novels and the screenplay for ''Film/TheCiderHouseRules''. Known for his very idiosyncratic method of working: he always writes the ending of a novel first, and structures the rest of the story towards that ending.

* TechnicianVsPerformer: Performer and proud of it.

* MostWritersAreWriters: It might be easier to list which novels ''don't'' subscribe to this trope:

** ''[[Literature/TheWorldAccordingToGarp T.S. Garp]]'', arguably Irving's most famous creation, is a writer.
** The main characters of ''A Widow for One Year, The Fourth Hand, Last Night in Twisted River, In One Person,'' and ''Avenue of Mysteries'' are all either novelists or journalists.

* MostWritersAreWriters:

In addition to ''The Cider House Rules'', his novels have also served as inspiration for the films ''The Door in the Floor'' and ''Simon Birch''.

Some tropes in his work include:

* AdaptationDistillation: Of course, with most of his novels topping 500 pages, it's inevitable.
* AdultFear: The violent death of young children is a recurring motif.
* AuthorAppeal : Some strange sex pops up in all of Irving's novels. Also Vienna, Exeter, bears, and wrestling.
** He ''loves'' semicolons; a single page of one of his novel is likely to features dozens of them. He jokes this was a point of contention between him and his mentor, Creator/KurtVonnegut, who ''hated'' them.
* DoingItForTheArt: Irving just plain ''loves'' the process of writing a novel, and considers himself one of the "lucky few" that he has been able to do what he loves nearly every day since TheSixties.
* GenreThrowback: All of Irving's books are throwbacks to the plot heavy, DoorStopper novels of the nineteenth century, particularly Creator/CharlesDickens.
* HollywoodNewEngland : All of Irving's books take place in New England locations.
* ItsNotSupposedToWinOscars: Irving proudly says his books are for the reading public and not critics or academics, and his primary intention is to ''move'' his audience, like his hero Creator/CharlesDickens. His work has still won awards, including the Oscar!
* TheFilmOfTheBook : Five of his novels have been adapted into successful films.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Irving goes out of his way to [[AvertedTrope avert]] this; you always know what happens to almost every character.
* WriteWhatYouKnow : Irving attended prep school at Exeter, as do many of his characters, or an Expy of same.

* MayDecemberRomance : Inverted with Literature/AWidowForOneYear (a younger man loves much older women). Played straight in other novels.

* AndIMustScream : Deconstructed with the Ellen Jamesians in Literature/TheWorldAccordingToGarp. [[spoiler: The Ellen Jamesians are a group of [[StrawFeminist radical feminists]] who cut out their tongues in support of a young rape victim.]]

* TheImmodestOrgasm: Appears in ''Literature/APrayerForOwenMeany'', ''Literature/TheCiderHouseRules'', and ''Literature/TheHotelNewHampshire''.

* WriteWhatYouKnow : Irving attended prep school at Exeter, as do many of his characters, or an Expy of same. He was also a high school wrestler and wrestling coach, and his characters in ''Literature/TheWorldAccordingToGarp'' are involved with the sport.

Notable works include

* Literature/TheWorldAccordingToGarp
* Literature/TheCiderHouseRules
* Literature/TheHotelNewHampshire
* Literature/AWidowForOneYear (the first half of the book was adapted into ''Film/TheDoorInTheFloor'').
* Literature/APrayerForOwenMeany. Loosely adapted into the film ''Film/SimonBirch''.

* ItsNotSupposedToWinAwards: Irving proudly says his books are for the reading public and not critics or academics, and his primary intention is to ''move'' hisaudience, like his hero Creator/CharlesDickens. The books still win awards, anyway.

* WriteWhatYouKnow : Irving attended prep school at Exeter, as do many of his characters, or an Expy of same. He was also a high school wrestler and wrestling coach, and his characters in ''Literature/TheWorldAccordingToGarp'' are involved with the sport.

* WhatHappenedTheMouse: Irving goes out of his way to [[AvertedTrope avert]] this; you always know what happens to almost every character.

* AndIMustScream : Deconstructed with the Ellen Jamesians in Literature/TheWorldAccordingToGarp. [[spoiler: The Ellen Jamesians are a group of StrawFeminists who cut out their tongues in support of a young rape victim.]]

John Irving is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of over a dozen novels and the screenplay for ''Film/TheCiderHouseRules''.

* AuthorAppeal : Some strange sex pops up in all of Irving's novels. Also bears and wrestling.

* AuthorAppeal : Some strange sex pops up in all of Irving's novels.

* Literature/AWidowForOneYear (the first half of the book was adapted into ''Film/TheDoorInTheFloor'').

* Literature/AWidowForOneYear

* MayDecemberRomance : Inverted with Literature/TheDoorInTheFloor (a younger man loves much older women). Played straight in other novels.

* WriteWhatYouKnow : Irving attended prep school at Exeter, as do many of his characters, or an Expy of same.

* Literature/TheDoorInTheFloor

Some recurring tropes in his work include: