The Novel and the Problem of New Life

The novel has a complicated relationship with the idea of procreation, portraying human vitality while also questioning its moral implications. The Novel and the Problem of New Life explores this tension in modern British and European novels, from Flaubert to Lessing. It is the first study to examine this issue in literature, which has troubled philosophers and others.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 263 pages
Publication date: 03 November 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The novel, since the nineteenth century, has exhibited a complex and contradictory attitude towards the issue of procreation. While it portrays human vitality and the act of giving life, it also harbors persistent doubts about the moral implications of procreation. This tension is a defining characteristic of the modern British and European novel, as explored in The Novel and the Problem of New Life.

The book traces the history of the novel from the procreative-skeptical writings of Flaubert, Butler, and Hardy to the high modernist works of Lawrence, Woolf, and Huxley, and culminating in the postwar fiction of Lessing and others. It examines how the novel has evolved to accommodate growing misgivings about the morality of reproduction.

This groundbreaking study is the first to delve into this problem in the realm of literature, addressing a subject that has long troubled philosophers, environmental thinkers, and ordinary individuals alike. It sheds light on the complex interplay between literature, philosophy, and societal attitudes towards reproduction, providing a fresh perspective on this enduring and contentious issue.

Weight: 352g
Dimension: 151 x 227 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108970563