This dissertation pairs fictional texts with periodicals in four time periods that span the nineteenth century to compare the changing narrative perspectives encoded in the editorial We, or as Anthony Trollope called it, the delicious plural. Despite the seemingly straightforward function of the pronoun, and its consistent ability to influence readers, writers adapted the We to multifarious purposes throughout the century. Many Victorian writers wrote both periodical material and independent fiction, and their texts not only illustrate how formal and stylistic trends in periodicals influenced fiction writing (and vice versa) but also demonstrate how writers developed and expressed opinions about social topics in different literary arenas. The world of periodicals emboldened many writers to speak openly as critical readers, judging and esteeming current events and texts through the language of authority or the language of satire crafted to critique while it unsparingly entertained. These approaches to periodical engagement with the reader molded periodicals uses of We and I voices. In fiction, many authors brought a level of that same authoritative or satirical scope to their narratives. Yet the distinct realm of fiction was not predicated on critiquing, like periodicals, but on showing and exploring and entertaining through sustained plots, which in turn could alter the tone and agenda of We and I voices. This study explores how the We takes on distinct significance in different literary forms by analyzing the role of narration in novels that show evidence of influence from periodical conventions established to represent the self through narrative perspective in four time periodsBenjamin Disraelis Vivian Grey, from the late 1820s; William Makepeace Thackerays Pendennis, from the late 1840s; Anthony Trollopes An Editors Tales and The Way We Live Now, from the late 1860s and the mid 1870s; and George Gissings New Grub Street, from the early 1890s. Their varying uses of We are symptomatic of changing cultural attitudes about such concepts as self-representation, stylistic trends (like realism), politics, commercialism, and generic categorization.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-11302012-203114 |
| Date | 12 December 2012 |
| Creators | Garcia-Fernandez, Erin Elizabeth |
| Contributors | Dr. Jay Clayton, Dr. Mark L. Schoenfield, Dr. Carolyn Dever, Dr. Jim Epstein |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-11302012-203114/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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