《小说鉴赏》是布鲁克斯、沃伦继《理解诗歌》之后合著的小说理论著作，在这本著作里，布鲁克斯、沃伦切身实践了他们的“细读法”阅读批评方法，并以此为基础，提出了涉及小说本质的“演出说”和“幻象说”。这两种小说本质论体现了布鲁克斯、沃伦具备现代精神的“新批评”观念：首先，他们强调小说本质不是一成不变的存在，而是时时发展着；其次，他们强调小说和文学都必须在读者那里才能获得价值，小说的优劣标准也应建立在读者的感受基础上；最后，布鲁克斯和沃伦以“演出说”和“幻象说”为前提，探讨了小说内部各要素之间关系，重点阐发了小说有机整体观。在以上几点反映的“文学本质论”层面上，布鲁克斯、沃伦的“新批评”观念与传统意义上的“本体论批评”文学批评观念产生了较大的差异。

Understanding Fiction is a fiction theoretical book co-writted by Brooks and Warren. In this book, Brooks and Warren personally practiced their "Close Reading" method for reading and criticism. Basing on this, They proposed doctrine of performance and phantom on the topic of fiction nature. The two view about fiction essence reflected Brooks and Warren’s modern spirit of “New Criticism” concept: At first, they stressed that the presence of the fiction nature is developing every moment but not static; At the second, they stressed that the fiction and literature must be in order to get the value of readers. The pros and cons of the novel standards should be established in the readers’ feelings; Finally, they made doctrine of performance and Phantom as the precondition, explored the relationship between the various elements of the novel internal, elucidated of the novel concept of organic whole. At the level of Literary Essence stated by the above points, Brooks and Warren's "New Criticism" concept made a good difference with the traditional sense of the ontological criticized concept on literary criticism.