Dickens and Post-Victorian Fiction

Author: Georges Letissier

Source: Postmodern Studies, Refracting the Canon in Contemporary British Literature and Film , pp. 111-128(18)

Publisher: Rodopi

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Abstract:

The 19^th century features prominently in contemporary fiction. So-called Post-Victorian novels evince a genuine interest for moments of historical rupture, while attempting to negotiate passages between past and present. The paradox of these novels lies in the insoluble tension between their endeavour to historicise fiction by reverting to a landmark era, and in the meantime, the impossibility to come to any definitive version of the past. Indeed Post-Victorian narratives yield multiple, conflicting perspectives on a period that had come to be seen mostly through convenient clichés and stereotypes. This article focuses on the way in which a few Post-Victorian fictions read Dickens' novels from the vantage point of the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries, and conversely, on how our contemporary age is reinterpreted in the process.

Keywords: PALIMPSESTIC READING; MISPRISION; CREATIVE MISREADING; THE REFRACTED CANON AND THE DEFLECTED CANON.

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 2004-08-01