Communities in Fiction

Communities in Fiction

Author: J. Hillis Miller

Publisher: Fordham Univ Press

Published: 2014-12-02

Total Pages: 311

ISBN-13: 0823263126

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Communities in Fiction reads six novels or stories (one each by Trollope, Hardy, Conrad, Woolf, Pynchon, and Cervantes) in the light of theories of community worked out (contradictorily) by Raymond Williams, Martin Heidegger, and Jean- Luc Nancy. The book’s topic is the question of how communities or noncommunities are represented in fictional works. Such fictional communities help the reader understand real communities, including those in which the reader lives. As against the presumption that the trajectory in literature from Victorian to modern to postmodern is the story of a gradual loss of belief in the possibility of community, this book demonstrates that communities have always been presented in fiction as precarious and fractured. Moreover, the juxtaposition of Pynchon and Cervantes in the last chapter demonstrates that period characterizations are never to be trusted. All the features both thematic and formal that recent critics and theorists such as Fredric Jameson and many others have found to characterize postmodern fiction are already present in Cervantes’s wonderful early-seventeenth-century “Exemplary Story,” “The Dogs’ Colloquy.” All the themes and narrative devices of Western fiction from the beginning of the print era to the present were there at the beginning, in Cervantes Most of all, however, Communities in Fiction looks in detail at its six fictions, striving to see just what they say, what stories they tell, and what narratological and rhetorical devices they use to say what they do say and to tell the stories they do tell. The book attempts to communicate to its readers the joy of reading these works and to argue for the exemplary insight they provide into what Heidegger called Mitsein— being together in communities that are always problematic and unstable.


The Warden

The Warden

Author: Anthony Trollope

Publisher: Modernista

Published: 2024-05-30

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 9180949258

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In the quiet countryside of Barsetshire, controversy stirs within the tranquil walls of Hiram's Hospital, a charitable institution for elderly men. The source of contention lies in the generous income the warden Mr. Harding receives from the hospital's endowment, which some argue is excessive for his duties. As public opinion mounts against him, led by the zealous reformer John Bold, Mr. Harding finds himself torn between his sense of duty to the hospital's residents and the moral scrutiny of the broader community. Anthony Trollope's insightful portrayal of characters and moral dilemmas unfolds against a backdrop of pastoral beauty and societal scrutiny. The Warden is a timeless exploration of justice, compassion, and the clash between tradition and reform in a small English town, showcasing Trollope's mastery of psychological depth and social commentary. ANTHONY TROLLOPE [1815-1882] was an English novelist and civil servant. Among his most famous works is the series known as The Chronicles of Barsetshire, in which he delves into the intricacies of rural and ecclesiastical life.


The Parson's Daughter of Oxney Colne

The Parson's Daughter of Oxney Colne

Author: Anthony Trollope

Publisher: Lindhardt og Ringhof

Published: 2021-09-06

Total Pages: 38

ISBN-13: 8726804026

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This enjoyable short story from Anthony Trollope follows the arrogant Captain John Broughton as he seeks to cement his place as heir to his wealthy aunt Miss Le Smyrger. Set in Devonshire, love and romance are also in the air for Captain Broughton, but will his ego ultimately be his downfall? Anthony Trollope (1815 – 1882) was a Victorian writer and author of 47 novels. He also wrote an autobiography, short stories and plays, travel articles, reviews and lectures. A prolific writer, he made no secret of the fact that money was his motivation for writing – an admission which raised eyebrows among his literary contemporaries at the time. The amount of works Trollope authored are testament to his belief in hard work. His first successful novel was The Warden followed by its sequel, Barchester Towers. The Chronicles of Barsetshire are perhaps his most well-known series of novels, though many of his works have been adapted for TV and radio, starring many familiar faces such as Alan Rickman, David Tennant, Bill Nighy and Tom Hollander. Alongside his literary career, Trollope also worked for some time for the Post Office and is credited with the introduction of the iconic post box to Britain. A memorial to Anthony Trollope was unveiled in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey in 1993.