Originally published in 1983, The Sentiment of Reality covers the rise and decline of the realist novel from the mid-eighteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.
The book takes the form of an extended essay on two closely related themes in the history of the novel: first, the impact and aftermath of the eighteenth-century cult of sentiment and, secondly, the supplanting of illusionism by an aesthetic of mimesis. This forms the basis of an exploration of the emotional impact that fiction has on the reader. Using this analysis, the book defends the realist tradition against common contemporary criticism.
The Sentiment of Reality combines a close reading of key moments in European fiction with a wide-ranging speculative treatment of historical and formal questions.
- ISBN10 0367610671
- ISBN13 9780367610678
- Publish Date 31 December 2020 (first published February 1983)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Imprint Routledge
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 220
- Language English