Letters in the Story: Narrative-Epistolary Fiction from Aphra Behn to the Victorians

Tavor Bannet's study explores how narrative-epistolary novels challenged the documentary use of letters in history and law by adapting familiar romance plots centered on identity mysteries. It highlights transgenerational debates and the impact of eighteenth-century forbears on Victorian literature.

Format: Hardback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 02 December 2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The rich tapestry of mixta-genera fiction, particularly cherished by women novelists, has been somewhat neglected in literary criticism. Tavor Bannet, in his insightful exploration, unveils how narrative-epistolary novels emerged as a powerful counterbalance to the purely documentary purposes of letters in history and law. By meticulously adhering to established formal conventions and delving into familiar thematic realms, Bannet showcases how these novels sought to transcend the real, situated, transactional, and instrumental nature of letters, embracing their multi-faceted relationships and temporally shifting readings. Through a comprehensive analysis of issues such as reading and misreading, knowledge and ignorance, communication and credulity, this study delves into the ways in which novelists adapted familiar romance plots centered on identity mysteries to gauge the viability of empiricism's new culture of fact and challenge positivism's subsequent all-encompassing regime of truth. By conducting a close reading of narrative-epistolary novels by a diverse range of authors, from Aphra Behn and Charlotte Lennox to Frances Burney and Wilkie Collins, this study uncovers the intricate transgenerational debates that unfolded during the Victorian era. It sheds light on both the influences and adaptations that Victorian writers drew from their eighteenth-century predecessors, as well as the transformative changes they introduced to the literary landscape. This exploration not only deepens our understanding of the genre but also provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between literature, culture, and historical developments of the Victorian era.

Weight: 560g
Dimension: 158 x 235 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781316518854