I've found that reading a book often helps me really experience a certain way of thinking. I appreciate your recommendations. 
What novel best reveals the INFP way of thinking?
Veraine
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Uh? No. Also, that's a bit silly for you to suggest that Stephanie Myers is INFP, and then to suggest that inferior Te can't do writing coherently enough to be a famous writer. She is a famous writer.
Stories can be edited over and over again to create more cohesiveness, which Fi, Si, and Ne can help with. Te comes out more in giving directions for INFPs and taking logical action imo. Not in coherent story telling. Many people prefer stories that have a quieter narrative quality anyway--as in 'showing' rather than directing. I personally find writing stories (long or short) to be easier than creating essays, analysis, or criticism of stories, as well as just engaging others in a coherent way in daily life.
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Anyway--to OP. I have no idea the mbti, but my favorite novel is The Summer Book by Tove Jansson. It also reminds me a little of A.A.Milne, in that there are subtle layers of innocent humor, which makes me laugh. I think I enjoy being able to identify with both the grandmother and the little girl--there's just some beautiful complexity in the simplicity of their daily lives and relationship. I can identify with the way she depicts perception of reality, life, and time, especially as a child.
Here are some short quotes from Jansson's writing:
https://www.moomin.com/en/blog/tag/quotes/page/8/
View attachment 504546
In general, I tend to enjoy historical fiction, fantasy, and magical realism though.
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Just because I can relate ---->> from the German fantasy novel, The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, the book store owner. No, not Bastian Balthazar Bux, who has been identified as an INFP on another site, but the book store owner Carl Conrad Coreander. Sorry Bastian, I relate to Mr. Coreander, with the perfect job, perfect way to make a living and perfect way to spend the hours of the day. He *sets Bastian on his journey* which I think *some* INFPs can be catalysts for.
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Not one famous for good writing or great story, though. Twilight is pretty much a synonymous with a famous novel for barely literate people (a.k.a. teens/young adults).
I remember recommending INFJ Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire to a Twilight fangirl and she quickly became a Twilight basher for some reason XD .
Generally, when it comes to literary quality of fiction it's INFJs > ENFP (and these two types massively dominate fiction like in each of them is 10+x more numerous than INFPs). Vision of Ni + articulation of Fe = Epic Win. ESTJ Ernst Junger is also fucking amazing both in his memoirs and fiction, though. I wonder how if he's an exception or if ESTJs have lots of undiscovered literary geniuses among them.
Nice. There are still almost no known modern INFP fiction writers, though. So, inferior articulation function must be somehow crippling in that field.
Excuse me? Who are you to judge whether or not someone deserves to be a succesful author by type alone? Myers-briggs might tell some things about a person, but it doesn't have to define who you are. MBTI is never the end all, be all. Because the complexity of the human mind tends to not fit into 16 boxes to begin with...
Every type can write. Everyone can write AND be succesful in the process.
(Even if they lack all the Te in the world.)
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1984- George Orwell
Stardust - Neil Gaiman
The little prince - Antoine de saint exupery
Susan Cain - Quiet
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Stardust - Neil Gaiman
The little prince - Antoine de saint exupery
Susan Cain - Quiet
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Actually I would think the lack of Te makes one a better and more creative writer [emoji6]
Infp has the most successful list of writers in my opinion( I'm an Enfp )
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Where are you getting your information from--that there are 'almost no known modern INFP fiction writers?'
I can see how INFJ might gravitate towards 'better literature' since according to Jung, Fe is much more about communal tastes. So upholding and innovating what is traditionally valued as 'good literature' seems up Ni-Fe's alley, if so desired. I've often thought INFJs would be better at being sensitive and also giving literary criticism, as it requires holding expression against established values (whether in a literary circle or in the general population).
Fe-Se more likely towards what is valued externally as well as more rare sensory indulgences--Se seeking out new sensory stimuli (rarity, exotic but with established value). Ti focuses on cold hard aspects--style and innovation with language. Ni--IDK--maybe focused on an alternate framework of reality that is cohesive..maybe innovation.
So Stephanie Meyers--I could not care less whether people think her books are trash or not. I read Twilight. It's engaging and I can see why people like it--it was enjoyable to me. Not really interested in traditional vampires that much so never really got into Anne Rice (heresy--right?). Perhaps Meyers just took some idea and then expanded it to make it more accessible and engaging to a lot of contemporary people, regardless of their taste in literature or interest in vampires. I'd say that's probably some pretty good story telling. Btw--I think she was also influenced by Charlaine Harris, who I prefer to Meyers.
But I agree that good is not the same as popular, and that there are many great books out there, as well as great authors who haven't gotten noticed. I only see Te inferior as a problem in that INFPs may have to put more into applying themselves and following through with ideas, as well as promoting themselves. I also think you should keep in mind that 'literary quality' is rather subjective, and that standards for that change over time, based on popular or respected taste.
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Marcel Proust - À la recherche du temps perdu
I feel like reading Proust is like plugging your brain into an INFP's brain.
Tolstoy - Anna Karenina
The character Levin, whose thoughts are most explored in the novel, is very INFP to me.
Jane Eyre seems pretty INFP to me also.
For the more whimsical side, young adult fiction such as The Phantom Tollbooth is pretty good. I think INFP humor and imagination can be something like that. Probably Lewis Carroll too.
I feel like reading Proust is like plugging your brain into an INFP's brain.
Tolstoy - Anna Karenina
The character Levin, whose thoughts are most explored in the novel, is very INFP to me.
Jane Eyre seems pretty INFP to me also.
For the more whimsical side, young adult fiction such as The Phantom Tollbooth is pretty good. I think INFP humor and imagination can be something like that. Probably Lewis Carroll too.
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Haruki Murakami and Margaret Atwood, off the top of my head.
What a dumb thing to say anyway. Reeks of jealousy.
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The Rosetta Stone of Human Souls, 20k edition. There are literally like 6 of them.
INFP type is a bag where mistyped ENFPs and INFJs are thrown in by dozens.
Charlaine Harris is an ENFP.
When it comes to influences of Meyers:
"According to the author, her books are "about life, not death" and "love, not lust".[14] Each book in the series was inspired by and loosely based on a different literary classic: Twilight on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, New Moon on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Eclipse on Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, and Breaking Dawn on a second Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream.[15] Meyer also states that Orson Scott Card and L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series are a big influence on her writing.[12] As for the Cullens, she based them on her own family.[16]"
"Stephenie Meyer says that the idea for Twilight came to her in a dream on June 2, 2003. The dream was about a human girl, and a vampire who was in love with her but thirsted for her blood. Based on this dream, Meyer wrote the transcript of what is now chapter 13 of the book.[19]"
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Atwood is an INFJ. Murakami wasn't read. Will have to submit him for reading. Oh wait. I can't because he's avoiding video interviews. Explains why he wasn't read.
Haruki Murakami and Margaret Atwood, off the top of my head.
What would I be jealous about?
Statistics show that INFP writers are very rare. Ironically, they are most common in acting.
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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Anything by Charlies Bukwoski
Naked Lunch by William Burroughs
Anything by Jack Kerouac
Anything by Charlies Bukwoski
Naked Lunch by William Burroughs
Anything by Jack Kerouac
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"Read" by who? What "statistics"?
Atwood is far more likely INFP. Most authors have one character in their work that is clearly themselves, and for Atwood that is the protagonist in Cat's Eye. That character is pretty clearly INFP. She doesnt show Je structured mentality, but an IxxP attitude towards life and her art.
The rest of this is made-up BS not worth refuting.
Haven't read Murakami yet.
Haruki Murakami and Margaret Atwood, off the top of my head.
What a dumb thing to say anyway. Reeks of jealousy.
Atwood? (barfs up 30 feet of intestine).
I would suggest (duh!) The Phantom Tollbooth. (Kids' book, but still, random & deep at the same time).
Speaking of children's books, how would you classify Where The Wild Things Are? Pure INFP imagination, just like Calvin. (I think Bill Watterson is a confessed INFP).
Momo Kapor, The Fortress. Feeding on depression, with lots of unexplored side ends.
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar.
Gene Wolfe, The Knight.
And depressing enough, but too cut-and-dried to be true INFP, Madeleine L'Engle's A Severed Wasp.
And maybe you've added this down thread, but I'm surprised to find zero mention of Proust.
...or several Russian authors the mere mention of whose names make me clinically depressed.
...speaking of clinical depression, how about good old Edgar Allan Poe? ("Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore.' " Not to mention the haunting The Telltale Heart or The Cask of Amontillado.)
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By, Pod'Lair. Who else reads people and has thousands of them read? From the Rosetta Stone of Human Soul 20k (the amounts of INFP authors present there) and Pod'Lair Proclamation 2nd Edition, pages 486 and 487.
That's pure conjecture. Looking at wikipedia:
Oh gosh, observe social dynamics. That's certainly Fe! 100% confirmed INFJ!
The protagonist could as well be based on an XXFP she knows, based on stereotypes about artists and numerous other possibilities. Also, one can write author self-inserts while giving them a lot of traits of their unconscious genius that the author desires to have but doesn't really have. Like for example my mass murder stories XD .
Says someone who's trying to type writers basing on assumption that a protagonist of a novel is a writer self-insert :tongue: .
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No Se dom and aux are most common in acting - infp most common in literature
This is common knowledge
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Looking at stats from almost 9000 actors read:
Most numerous are male INTJs and female ENTPs, then male ENFJs and female INFPs. Which is quite interesting because these are inspiration pairs.
That's a common misconception. And completely baseless since no one in typology community has actually bothered to type 1000s of actors or actually has ability to accurately type them in the first place.
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Yeah, I had mentioned those, and someone else mentioned Poe. Sylvia Plath is another good one.
But it does make INFPs seem like depressives.... :frustrating:
Maurice Sendak is probably INFP, yeah. Shel Silverstein is a possibility as well.
Confirmation of BS typings received.
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