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 1996 Book cover | |
| Author | Margaret Anne Doody |
|---|---|
| Subject | Fiction technique, history and criticism. Literary criticism. Interpretation. |
| Published | 1996 |
| Publisher | Rutgers University Press |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print, E-book |
| Pages | 580 |
| ISBN | 9780585234205 9780813524535 |
| OCLC | 44964682 |
| Dewey Decimal | 809.3 |
| LC Class | PN3355.D66 1996 |
| Website | Official website |
| Includes bibliographical references (p. 531-553) and index. | |
The True Story of the Novel' is a voluminous nonfiction book that is a feminist critique and revisionist history of the novel. It was written by Margaret Anne Doody and published by Rutgers University Press in 1996.
Synopsis
Margaret Anne Doody strongly believes that the ancient novel has significantly impacted Western culture, as well as how this culture changes over time. She focuses on the sophisticated writing that these ancient novels seem to demonstrate. Doody enlarges the traditional definition of the novel by noting the similarities between these works found across two thousand years of their existence. This approach views the novel as both an archetype throughout time and a modern form of creation.
One of the main thrusts of this book is to challenge the established divisions within literary history, such as those between novels and romances, ancient and modern works, realistic and fantastical narratives, and historical accounts and fictional creations. It aims to break down these conventional divisions and create a new understanding of the novel's evolution.
In the introductory chapter, the author notes Nietzsche's criticism of Alexandrian culture, which Nietzsche saw as a corrupt and decadent from diverging conditions and foreign influences. However, the author flips this negative view around, full-circle, using Nietzsche's descriptions not to condemn the variety of cultures but to tout it as a model for inclusivity.
Hence, Doody aims to challenge "parochial" (narrow) theories such as in Ian Watt's Rise of the Novel that have focused on a chosen time period or language. She argues that such views discount significant influences and discount the evolution of the novel over time while being produced in different cultures.
References
- ^ Brown, Ashley (1998). "Reviewed work: The True Story of the Novel, by Margaret Anne Doody". The Comparatist. 22: 188–190. JSTOR 44366996.
- ^ New, Peter (1998). "Reviewed work: The True Story of the Novel, Margaret Anne Doody". The Modern Language Review. 93 (3): 773–774. doi:10.2307/3736507. JSTOR 3736507.
- ^ Turner, James Grantham (1999). "Reviewed work: The True Story of the Novel, Margaret Anne Doody". Modern Philology. 96 (3): 364–370. doi:10.1086/492765. JSTOR 439222.
- Hagen, W. M. (1998). "Reviewed work: The True Story of the Novel, Margaret Anne Doody". World Literature Today. 72 (1): 218–219. doi:10.2307/40153740. JSTOR 40153740.
- Davis, Lennard J. (1997). "Novel Worship". Novel: A Forum on Fiction. 30 (3): 405–408. doi:10.2307/1345762. JSTOR 1345762.
- Richetti, John (1998). "Reviewed work: The True Story of the Novel, Margaret Anne Doody". The American Historical Review. 103 (1): 137–138. doi:10.2307/2650781. JSTOR 2650781.
Further reading
- Turner, James Grantham (2012). "'Romance' and the Novel in Restoration England". The Review of English Studies. 63 (258): 58–85. doi:10.1093/res/hgr041. JSTOR 41410090.
- Showalter, Elaine (1984). "Women's Time, Women's Space: Writing the History of Feminist Criticism". Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature. 3 (1/2): 29–43. doi:10.2307/463823. JSTOR 463823.
- Delsandro, Erica Gene (2019). "No More Missed Connections". Woolf Studies Annual. 25: 73–96. JSTOR 26932502.
- Dekoven, Marianne (1992). "The Politics of Modernist Form". New Literary History. 23 (3): 675–690. doi:10.2307/469225. JSTOR 469225.
- Warner, William B. (1992). "The Elevation of the Novel in England: Hegemony and Literary History". ELH. 59 (3): 577–596. doi:10.2307/2873443. JSTOR 2873443.
External links
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