The Contemporary British Historical Novel Representation, Nation, Empire [Hardcover]

A?detailed study of an increasingly popular genre, this book offers readings of a group of significant and representative works, drawing on a range of interpretative strategies to examine the ways in which the contemporary historical novel engages with questions of nation and identity to illuminate Britain's post-imperial condition.Introduction: The Novel of History 1969-2005 Tradition and Renewal The Romance of the Past Empire and the Politics of Representation Political Engagement and the Romance of Withdrawal Conclusion: Fictions of the Garden Bibliography Index

'Mariadele Boccardi's study of the contemporary British historical novel is an absorbing, accomplished and well-researched piece of criticism that not only comments insightfully on a good range of writers but also represents a valuable contribution to ongoing debates about fiction, history, memory, nostalgia and postmodernism.' - Michael Greaney, Senior Lecturer in English, Lancaster University, UK

'... the study's overall achievement: to give an informative, well-researched and long awaited overview of questions of nation and empire in a genre that has to be counted among the most significant of contemporary fiction.' - Imke Neumann, ZAA - A Quarterly of Language, Literature and Culture

MARIADELE BOCCARDI is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of the West of England, UK. Historical fiction is her main area of research as well as a long-standing favourite genre. She has published widely on the topic, both in academic journals and in edited collections.