The Family Novel in Russia and England, 1800-1880

This book explores the relationship between family structures and narrative structure in nineteenth-century novels, comparing Russia and England. It argues that the two nations had different conceptions of the family, which shaped the way they constructed plots. The English novel idealized the domestic sphere and emphasized family continuity, while Russian novels approached it as a backward site of patriarchal tyranny. The book offers a new way of conceptualizing family's role in shaping the nineteenth-century novel.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press

This groundbreaking book delves into the intricate relationship between family structures and narrative structure in the nineteenth-century novel, offering a fresh perspective on this literary phenomenon. By comparing Russia and England, the author argues that these two nations had fundamentally different conceptions of the family, which in turn shaped the way they constructed their plots. The English placed primary value on the vertical, diachronic family axis, tracing lineage back to ancestors and extending to future generations. On the other hand, the Russians emphasized the lateral, synchronic axis, where the family expanded outward in the present, encompassing extended and chosen kin.

This profound difference in family orientation had a significant impact on the way authors approached consanguineal relations, courtship, marriage, and alternative kinship constructions. The English novel, idealizing the domestic sphere and emphasizing family continuity, portrayed the family as a conservative force. In contrast, Russian novels approached the family as a backward site of patriarchal tyranny in desperate need of reform. Russian family plots, therefore, offered a progressive, liberalizing push toward new, nontraditional family constructions.

The book's comparative approach challenges prevailing theories of the novel, which are often based on the linear English family model and fail to accommodate the more complex Russian alternative. It reveals the limitations of these theories, explains their shortcomings, and provides a new way of conceptualizing family's role in shaping the nineteenth-century novel. By contextualizing classics from Dickens, Eliot, and Trollope alongside Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Turgenev, the book restores the rightful place of Russia's great women writers alongside their male counterparts in the broader literary landscape of their day.

In conclusion, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in nineteenth-century literature, family studies, and literary theory. It offers a rich and nuanced exploration of the complex interplay between family structures and narrative structure, shedding light on the ways in which these two forces shaped the development of the novel in Russia and England. Through its comparative approach, the book provides valuable insights into the broader literary landscape of the nineteenth century and offers a fresh perspective on the role of the family in shaping the narrative.

Weight: 572g
Dimension: 242 x 166 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192866622