Neo-Victorianism, Empathy and Reading

Neo-Victorian literature explores the ethics of the text-reader relationship, focusing on empathy and its role in engaging with fiction. It examines the works of Margaret Atwood, Julian Barnes, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Sarah Waters, Michael Cox, and Jane Harris, highlighting the genre's experimentation with 'empathetic narrative.' Zhang argues that neo-Victorianism pushes readers to critically reflect on their reading expectations and strategies, as well as their ethical responsibilities, offering a future-oriented, reparative, and politically meaningful way of reading and valuing these contemporary texts.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 21 April 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Neo-Victorianism, Empathy and Reading is a book that explores the ethics of the text-reader relationship in neo-Victorian literature, focusing on the role of empathy in this engagement. The book draws upon the writings of Margaret Atwood, Julian Barnes, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Sarah Waters, Michael Cox, and Jane Harris to examine the ethical implications of the text-reader relationship in neo-Victorian literature.

The book is divided into themes such as voyeurism, shame, nausea, space, and place, and argues that such literature pushes the reader to critically reflect upon their reading expectations and strategies, as well as their wider ethical responsibilities. Zhang presents neo-Victorian literature as a genre defined by its experimentation with 'empathetic narrative.'

The book brings together recent cultural and theoretical research on narrative temporality, empathy, and affect, and demonstrates how neo-Victorian literature can be read and valued in new ways. It provides a future-orientated, reparative, and politically meaningful way of reading neo-Victorian literature and culture.

In conclusion, Neo-Victorianism, Empathy and Reading is a valuable contribution to the field of neo-Victorian literature and culture. It explores the ethics of the text-reader relationship in neo-Victorian literature, focusing on the role of empathy in this engagement. The book draws upon the writings of Margaret Atwood, Julian Barnes, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Sarah Waters, Michael Cox, and Jane Harris to examine the ethical implications of the text-reader relationship in neo-Victorian literature. The book is divided into themes such as voyeurism, shame, nausea, space, and place, and argues that such literature pushes the reader to critically reflect upon their reading expectations and strategies, as well as their wider ethical responsibilities. Zhang presents neo-Victorian literature as a genre defined by its experimentation with 'empathetic narrative.' The book brings together recent cultural and theoretical research on narrative temporality, empathy, and affect, and demonstrates how neo-Victorian literature can be read and valued in new ways. It provides a future-orientated, reparative, and politically meaningful way of reading neo-Victorian literature and culture.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350135598