Theory and the Novel

Narrative features such as frames, digressions, or authorial intrusions have traditionally been seen as distractions from the narrative proper. In Theory and the English Novel, Jeffrey Williams analyzes these elements as points where the novel overtly depicts or inscribes the act of narration itself. He looks at a range of novels--Tristram Shandy, Joseph Andrews, Wuthering Heights, Lord Jim, and Heart of Darkness--and poses a series of theoretical questions that offer an original contribution to readings of the English novel, as well as to current discussions of theory.