Limited Access: Transport Metaphors and Realism in the British Novel, 1740-1860

The pleasures of reading novels are compared to the joys of traveling in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British fiction, but these narratives also draw attention to the limits of access often experienced in travel. Kyoko Takanashi's book "Limited Access" explores how novelists employed metaphors of transport to reassess what readers could and could not access, highlighting the importance of marginalized readers and how these concerns about access became part of the rise of the novel and the history of realism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 17 November 2022
Publisher: University of Virginia Press

A captivating trope that permeated eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British fiction was the comparison of reading to traveling, asserting that the pleasures derived from novel-reading were akin to the delights of a carriage journey. Kyoko Takanashi, in her insightful analysis, highlights how these narratives simultaneously draw attention to the often limited access experienced during travel. She further demonstrates how the realist novel, too, is marked by issues of access, both symbolic and material.

Limited Access, a groundbreaking work, delves into the realm of media studies and the rich history of books and reading to unravel a narrative of realism that is deeply concerned with the inclusivity of readers. By examining a selection of works by renowned novelists such as Henry Fielding, Laurence Sterne, Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, and George Eliot, Takanashi showcases how these writers employed metaphors of transport to continually reassess the boundaries of what readers could and could not access.

In her meticulous exploration, Takanashi pays close attention to marginalized readers who are figuratively and literally present within the text. She highlights their significance and underscores the writers' genuine concerns about the limited access of readers to their novels. Through discussions of transport, novelists were able to contemplate the concept of mediation, and as this study reveals, these concerns about access played a pivotal role in the rise of the novel and the development of realism in ways that literary history has yet to fully acknowledge.

Limited Access is a groundbreaking contribution to the field, shedding light on the intricate relationship between literature, access, and the broader social and cultural context of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It offers a fresh perspective on the evolution of the novel and realism, challenging established narratives and prompting us to reevaluate our understanding of these literary movements. Through its meticulous analysis and compelling arguments, this book provides valuable insights into the power of literature to transcend boundaries and engage with the diverse experiences of readers.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813947570