charlespalliser

A Literary Essay on Historical Fiction, Neo-Victorian Studies, and the Modern Historical Novel This literary essay by Charles Palliser explores the status of the historical novel, Neo-Victorian fiction, and the relationship between nineteenth-century narrative form and modern literary experimentation. It examines writers such as Hilary Mantel, Sarah Waters, Michel Faber, A. S. Byatt, and John Fowles, and reflects on the intentions behind The Quincunx . Does the historical novel need...

I owe a huge debt to Tolkien’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS and yet I read very little “fantasy” fiction now and I’ve puzzled about that for many years. I think I’ve finally worked out why that is so. Usually, as I read, I am projecting myself into the “world” of the novel and speculating about how I would react if I were the character I am reading about. If I were in Jane Eyre’s position, would I like Rochester or find him patronising and arrogant? Would I guess the secret he is hiding in his...

Literary Essay on Holocaust Fiction, Moral Questions in Literature, and Writing About Historical Trauma This literary essay by Charles Palliser explores the ethics of Holocaust fiction, the morality of writing novels about historical trauma, and the ideas behind his novel Sufferance . The essay examines moral responsibility, the nature of evil in literature, and how fiction can approach the Holocaust without sensationalising or simplifying it. Should one write fiction about the...