Norman Macleanâs âA River Runs through Itâ: The Search for Beauty is the first book-length study of Norman Maclean or any of his works. Since the publication of âA River Runs through Itâ in 1976, readers and critics have considered it to be one of the most carefully crafted stories in American literature, in terms of both its structure and its style. The beauty of the story came with much hard work. This study traces Macleanâs revisions through four handwritten drafts and three typescripts, quoting extensively from previously unpublished material. The analysis of Macleanâs composition process lays the foundation for original and detailed discussions of other aspects of Macleanâs craft, such as his approach to genre and style. The study publishes for the first time the complete text of the notes that Maclean wrote after the first draft of âA River Runs through It.â
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