Victorian conversion narratives and reading communities

Because Victorian authors rarely discuss conversion experiences separately from the modes in which they are narrated, Emily Walker Heady argues that the conversion narrative became, in effect, a form of literary criticism. Literary conventions, in turn, served the reciprocal function as a means of d...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Heady, Emily Walker (Author)
Format: Print Book
Language:English
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Published: Farnham [u.a.] Ashgate [2013]
In:Year: 2013
Reviews:Victorian Conversion Narratives and Reading Communities. By Emily Walker Heady (2014) (Gilley, Sheridan, 1945 -)
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Dickens, Charles 1812-1870, Dombey and Son / Entertainment (Motif)
B Brontë, Charlotte 1816-1855, Villette / Entertainment (Motif)
B Eliot, George 1819-1880, Daniel Deronda / Entertainment (Motif)
B Conrad, Joseph 1857-1924, Heart of darkness / Entertainment (Motif)
B English language / Conversation / History 1830-1900
Further subjects:B English fiction 19th century History and criticism
B Conversion in literature
B Narration (Rhetoric) History 19th century
B English fiction 19th century History and criticism
Description
Summary:Because Victorian authors rarely discuss conversion experiences separately from the modes in which they are narrated, Emily Walker Heady argues that the conversion narrative became, in effect, a form of literary criticism. Literary conventions, in turn, served the reciprocal function as a means of discussing the nature of what Heady calls the 'heart-change.' Heady reads canonical authors such as John Henry Newman, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, and Oscar Wilde through a dual lens of literary history and post-liberal theology. As Heady shows, these authors question the ability of realism to contain the emotionally freighted and often jarring plot lines that characterize conversion. In so doing, they explore the limits of narrative form while also shedding light on the ways in which conversion narratives address and often disrupt the reading communities in which they occur.
Item Description:Includes index
ISBN:1409453774