|
|
|
|
|
|
Resources |
|
|
|
Spender on Trial
| Article
# : |
13107 |
|
|
Section : |
BOOK WORLD
|
| Issue
Date : |
11 / 1987 |
3,472 Words |
| Author
: |
Ian Watt
Ian Watt is author to the Rise of the Novel: Studies in Defoe,
Richardson and Fielding |
In 1957 I published a book called The Rise of the Novel: Studies in Defoe, Richardson and Fielding. About ten years later the editors of the critical journal Novel asked me for my "second thoughts" about it. I supplied them reluctantly, and began with obvious irony on my dislike of critical polemic, saying that "having, long ago, grimly refrained from posting sundry devastating retorts to a few of the original reviewers of The Rise of the Novel, I didn't at first find the attractions of contributing to the present series sufficient to warrant discomposing my posture of heroic abnegation. Another reason, which I also described in my Novel article, was that "it wasn't as though, stumbling gamely along to my centenary, I couldn't any longer risk passing up one final opportunity to provide incredulous outrage amongst those still elbowing their way up the professional ladder" - outrage at the very thought of my continued existence - "Sblood! Not buried yet?" Now, another twenty years later, I have yielded again. Why? Partly because I found it more difficult to resist exposing myself "to the charge of self-important anecdotage" under the combined blandishments of a long-distance telephone call from Washington and a relatively handsome fee. And also, perhaps, there was the thought that I am now, at the age of seventy, somewhat closer to what might be my final opportunity.
Why was I asked to discuss Dale Spender's recent book, The Mothers of the Novel: 100 good women writers before Jane Austen? Largely because I and my Rise of the Novel, together with Walter Allen and his The English Novel, have been selected by Dale Spender as her favorite whipping boys. She writes of my book that I "opened with the bald statement that the novel was begun by Defoe, Richardson and Fielding, and that it was the genius of these three men that
... (2000 of 20310 Characters)
Read Full Article
|
|
