Victorian Renovations of the Novel: Narrative Annexes and the Boundaries of Representation [Hardcover]

Original study of narrative technique in Victorian fiction from Charlotte Bront? to H. G. Wells.This study of narrative technique in Victorian novels introduces the concept of 'narrative annexes' whereby unexpected characters, impermissible subjects and plot-changing events enter fictional worlds which otherwise exclude them, challenging Victorian cultural and literary norms. Original readings of novels by Charlotte Brontë, Dickens, Disraeli, Hardy, Kingsley, Trollope and Wells show these writers negotiating the boundaries of representation to reveal subjects (notably sexuality and social class) which contemporary critics sought to exclude from the realm of the novel.This study of narrative technique in Victorian novels introduces the concept of 'narrative annexes' whereby unexpected characters, impermissible subjects and plot-changing events enter fictional worlds which otherwise exclude them, challenging Victorian cultural and literary norms. Original readings of novels by Charlotte Brontë, Dickens, Disraeli, Hardy, Kingsley, Trollope and Wells show these writers negotiating the boundaries of representation to reveal subjects (notably sexuality and social class) which contemporary critics sought to exclude from the realm of the novel.This study of narrative technique in Victorian novels introduces the concept of narrative annexes whereby unexpected characters, impermissible subjects and plot-changing events enter fictional worlds that otherwise exclude them, challenging Victorian cultural and literary norms. Original readings of novels by Charlotte Brontë, Dickens, Disraeli, Hardy, Kingsley, Trollope and Wells show these writers negotiating the boundaries of representation to reveal subjects (notably sexuality and social class) that contemporary critics sought to exclude from the realm of the novel.1. Narrative annexes: altered spaces, altered modes; 2. Victorian critics, narrative annexes, and prescriptions for the novel; 3. Norms andls&