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Sensation novel

January 01, 1970

For the theatrical work by W. S. Gilbert and Thomas German Reed, see A Sensation Novel.

The sensation novel, also sensation fiction, was a literary genre of fiction that achieved peak popularity in Great Britain in the 1860s and 1870s,[1] centering taboo material shocking to its readers as a means of musing on contemporary social anxieties.

Its literary forebears included the melodramatic novels and the Newgate novels, which focused on tales woven around criminal biographies; it also drew on the Gothic, romance, as well as mass market genres. The genre's popularity was conjoined to an expanding book market and growth of a reading public, by-products of the Industrial Revolution.[2] Whereas romance and realism had traditionally been contradictory modes of literature, they were brought together in sensation fiction. The sensation novelists commonly wrote stories that were allegorical and abstract; the abstract nature of the stories gave the authors room to explore scenarios that wrestled with the social anxieties[3] of the Victorian era. The loss of identity is seen in many sensation fiction stories because this was a common social anxiety; in Britain, there was an increased use in record keeping[4] and therefore people questioned the meaning and permanence of identity. The social anxiety regarding identity is reflected in novels such as The Woman in White and Lady Audley's Secret.[5]

Sensation fiction is commonly seen to have emerged as a definable genre in the wake of three novels: Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White (1859–60); Mrs. Henry Wood's East Lynne (1861); and Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret (1862).[6] Perhaps the earliest use of the term "sensation fiction" as a name for such novels appears in the 1861 edition of the Saunders, Otley, & co.'s Literary Budget.[7]

Definition edit

The Victorian sensation novel has been variously defined as a "novel-with-a-secret"[8] and as the sort of novel that combines "romance and realism" in a way that "strains both modes to the limit".[9]

Influences edit

 
Captioned "The Novelist who invented Sensation", caricature of Wilkie Collins in Vanity Fair, 3 February 1872

Sensation novelists drew on the influences of melodrama, Gothicism, and the Newgate novel to explore themes considered provocative by societal norms and to question the artificiality of identity. In the 1860s, the sensation novels and theatre became closely intertwined; many of the famous sensation novelists wrote as well for the stage.[3] Dickens, Reade, and Collins all wrote and acted for the theatre, and the stage helped many novelists gain recognition as authors. Peter Brooks defines melodrama as an attempt "to find, to articulate, to demonstrate, to 'prove' the existence of a moral universe which, though put into question, masked by villainy and perversions of judgement, does exist and can be made to assert its presence.[3]

The Gothic influence on the sensation novel is described by Laurence Talairach-Vielmas thus:

secrecy and the body go hand in hand, and the more sensation novels highlight the elusiveness or artificiality of human identity, the more hair-raising Gothic loci appear as the ultimate place where fragment of truth can be recollected and reunited and story rewritten.[5]

A common Gothic influence seen in the sensation novels is the search for a secret. Moreover, crime scenes at wells or near water are symbolic of the "depth" which is a key element of Gothic fiction. The sensation novel puts a modern spin on the classic Gothic ghost stories by placing the stories in contemporary settings and this produces the effect of creating a terror that is real and believable. Le Fanu's story, "Green Tea", is exemplary of the sensation novelists desire to explore the path less trodden. The main character, Jennings, inadvertently opens up an inner eye that can see the spiritual world after consuming too much green tea.[5]

Sensation novels drew influence as well from the Newgate novels that were popular during the 1830s and 40s; similarly to the sensation novel, Newgate novels created much controversy and debate.[4] Authors of both genres found inspiration in newspaper police reports; the crime mysteries of the sensation novels, however, were less interested in actually catching the criminal and instead focused more on the criminal's identity and how they became a criminal.[10]

Themes and reception edit

Typically the sensation novel focused on shocking subject matter including adultery, theft, kidnapping, insanity, bigamy, forgery, seduction and murder.[11] It distinguished itself from other contemporary genres, including the Gothic novel, by setting these themes in ordinary, familiar and often domestic settings, thereby undermining the common Victorian-era assumption that sensational events were something foreign and divorced from comfortable middle-class life. W. S. Gilbert satirised these works in his 1871 comic opera A Sensation Novel. For Anthony Trollope, however, the best novels should be "at the same time realistic and sensational...and both in the highest degree".[12]

When sensation novels burst upon a quiescent England these novels became immediate best sellers, surpassing all previous book sales records. However, highbrow critics writing in academic journals of the day decried the phenomenon and criticized its practitioners (and readers) in the harshest terms; John Ruskin perhaps providing the most thoughtful criticism in his 'Fiction – Fair and Foul'.[1] Some scholars speculate that the notoriety of the genre may have contributed to its popularity.[13] Henry Longueville Mansel from the Quarterly described the sensation novel as "extremely provocative of that sensation in the palate and throat which is a premonitory symptom of nausea".[3]

Notable examples edit

Legacy edit

Neo-Victorian novels, such as Celia Fremlin's The Hours Before Dawn (1958) and Eleanor Catton's The Luminaries (2013), have been seen to draw on the conventions of sensation fiction. The Luminaries includes uses of "suspect wills and forged documents, secret marriages, illegitimacy and opium".[14] Sarah Waters stated that her third novel Fingersmith (Virago Press, 2002) is meant as a tribute to the sensational novel genre.[15][16]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b I. Ousby ed., The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English (1995) p. 844
  2. ^ Muller, C. "Victorian Sensationalism: The Short Stories of Wilkie Collins." Unisa English Studies. 11.1 (1973): 12-13. Web. 8 Jun. 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d Hughes, Winifred. The Maniac in the Cellar. Princeton: Princeton University, 1980. Print.
  4. ^ a b Pykett Lyn. "The Newgate novel and sensation fiction, 1830-1868." Crime Fiction. Ed. Martin Priestman. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 2003. 19-39. Print
  5. ^ a b c Talairach-Vielmas, Laurence. "Sensation Fiction: A Peep Behind the Veil." The Victorian Gothic. Ed. Smith, Andrew, and William Hughes. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University, 2012. 29-42. Print
  6. ^ Loesberg, Jonathan. Ideology of Narrative Form in Sensation. University of California, 1986. JSTOR. Web. 10 Jun. 2014.
  7. ^ Saunders, Otley, & Co.'s. "Literature." Literary Budget 1 Nov. 1861: 38. Web. 10 Jun. 2014.
  8. ^ Tillotson, Kathleen (1969). Introduction to The Woman in White, p. xv. Dover Publications, New York. ISBN 0140289712.
  9. ^ Hughes, Winifred (2002). Brantlinger, Patrick (ed.). A Companion to the Victorian Novel. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 261.
  10. ^ Adams, James Eli. A History of Victorian Literature. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Web. 4 Jun. 2014.
  11. ^ See Allingham, Philip V. The Victorian Sensation Novel, 1860-1880 — "preaching to the nerves instead of the judgment." Victorian Web. [1] (last updated) 4 May 2006. Web. 15 May 2009.
  12. ^ Quoted in H. Bloom ed., The Victorian Novel (2004) p. 113
  13. ^ See Hughes, Winifred The Maniac in the Cellar: Sensation Novels of the 1860s. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1980.
  14. ^ Mullan, John (4 April 2014). "John Mullan on The Luminaries – Guardian book club". The Guardian.
  15. ^ Sarah Waters discusses Fingersmith. BBC Radio 4 Bookclub - 07 March 2004.
  16. ^ Sensational stories - Sarah Waters on the echoes of 'sensation novels' in Fingersmith. The Guardian - 17 June 2006.

Further reading edit

  • Hughes, Winifred (1980). The Maniac in the Cellar. Princeton University Press.

External links edit

  • Sensation, BBC Radio 4 discussion with John Mullan, Lyn Pykett & Dinah Birch (In Our Time, Nov. 6, 2003)

January 01, 1970
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For the theatrical work by W S Gilbert and Thomas German Reed see A Sensation Novel The sensation novel also sensation fiction was a literary genre of fiction that achieved peak popularity in Great Britain in the 1860s and 1870s 1 centering taboo material shocking to its readers as a means of musing on contemporary social anxieties Its literary forebears included the melodramatic novels and the Newgate novels which focused on tales woven around criminal biographies it also drew on the Gothic romance as well as mass market genres The genre s popularity was conjoined to an expanding book market and growth of a reading public by products of the Industrial Revolution 2 Whereas romance and realism had traditionally been contradictory modes of literature they were brought together in sensation fiction The sensation novelists commonly wrote stories that were allegorical and abstract the abstract nature of the stories gave the authors room to explore scenarios that wrestled with the social anxieties 3 of the Victorian era The loss of identity is seen in many sensation fiction stories because this was a common social anxiety in Britain there was an increased use in record keeping 4 and therefore people questioned the meaning and permanence of identity The social anxiety regarding identity is reflected in novels such as The Woman in White and Lady Audley s Secret 5 Sensation fiction is commonly seen to have emerged as a definable genre in the wake of three novels Wilkie Collins The Woman in White 1859 60 Mrs Henry Wood s East Lynne 1861 and Mary Elizabeth Braddon s Lady Audley s Secret 1862 6 Perhaps the earliest use of the term sensation fiction as a name for such novels appears in the 1861 edition of the Saunders Otley amp co s Literary Budget 7 Contents 1 Definition 2 Influences 3 Themes and reception 4 Notable examples 5 Legacy 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksDefinition editThe Victorian sensation novel has been variously defined as a novel with a secret 8 and as the sort of novel that combines romance and realism in a way that strains both modes to the limit 9 Influences edit nbsp Captioned The Novelist who invented Sensation caricature of Wilkie Collins in Vanity Fair 3 February 1872 Sensation novelists drew on the influences of melodrama Gothicism and the Newgate novel to explore themes considered provocative by societal norms and to question the artificiality of identity In the 1860s the sensation novels and theatre became closely intertwined many of the famous sensation novelists wrote as well for the stage 3 Dickens Reade and Collins all wrote and acted for the theatre and the stage helped many novelists gain recognition as authors Peter Brooks defines melodrama as an attempt to find to articulate to demonstrate to prove the existence of a moral universe which though put into question masked by villainy and perversions of judgement does exist and can be made to assert its presence 3 The Gothic influence on the sensation novel is described by Laurence Talairach Vielmas thus secrecy and the body go hand in hand and the more sensation novels highlight the elusiveness or artificiality of human identity the more hair raising Gothic loci appear as the ultimate place where fragment of truth can be recollected and reunited and story rewritten 5 A common Gothic influence seen in the sensation novels is the search for a secret Moreover crime scenes at wells or near water are symbolic of the depth which is a key element of Gothic fiction The sensation novel puts a modern spin on the classic Gothic ghost stories by placing the stories in contemporary settings and this produces the effect of creating a terror that is real and believable Le Fanu s story Green Tea is exemplary of the sensation novelists desire to explore the path less trodden The main character Jennings inadvertently opens up an inner eye that can see the spiritual world after consuming too much green tea 5 Sensation novels drew influence as well from the Newgate novels that were popular during the 1830s and 40s similarly to the sensation novel Newgate novels created much controversy and debate 4 Authors of both genres found inspiration in newspaper police reports the crime mysteries of the sensation novels however were less interested in actually catching the criminal and instead focused more on the criminal s identity and how they became a criminal 10 Themes and reception editTypically the sensation novel focused on shocking subject matter including adultery theft kidnapping insanity bigamy forgery seduction and murder 11 It distinguished itself from other contemporary genres including the Gothic novel by setting these themes in ordinary familiar and often domestic settings thereby undermining the common Victorian era assumption that sensational events were something foreign and divorced from comfortable middle class life W S Gilbert satirised these works in his 1871 comic opera A Sensation Novel For Anthony Trollope however the best novels should be at the same time realistic and sensational and both in the highest degree 12 When sensation novels burst upon a quiescent England these novels became immediate best sellers surpassing all previous book sales records However highbrow critics writing in academic journals of the day decried the phenomenon and criticized its practitioners and readers in the harshest terms John Ruskin perhaps providing the most thoughtful criticism in his Fiction Fair and Foul 1 Some scholars speculate that the notoriety of the genre may have contributed to its popularity 13 Henry Longueville Mansel from the Quarterly described the sensation novel as extremely provocative of that sensation in the palate and throat which is a premonitory symptom of nausea 3 Notable examples editThe Woman in White 1859 60 Wilkie Collins Great Expectations 1860 61 Charles Dickens East Lynne 1861 Mrs Henry Wood The Old Roman Well 1861 Anonymous Lady Audley s Secret 1862 Mary Braddon Ashcombe Churchyard 1862 Evelyn Benson Passages in the Life of a Fast Young Lady 1862 Mrs Grey No Name 1862 Wilkie Collins Aurora Floyd 1863 Mary Braddon Nobly False 1863 James M Grigor Allan The Shadow of Ashlydyat 1864 Mrs Henry Wood Griffith Gaunt 1865 66 Charles Reade Armadale 1866 Wilkie Collins Foul Play 1868 Charles Reade Cora or The Romance of Three Years 1869 Gertrude Fenton The Mystery of Edwin Drood 1870 Charles Dickens Desperate Remedies 1871 Thomas HardyLegacy editNeo Victorian novels such as Celia Fremlin s The Hours Before Dawn 1958 and Eleanor Catton s The Luminaries 2013 have been seen to draw on the conventions of sensation fiction The Luminaries includes uses of suspect wills and forged documents secret marriages illegitimacy and opium 14 Sarah Waters stated that her third novel Fingersmith Virago Press 2002 is meant as a tribute to the sensational novel genre 15 16 See also edit nbsp Novels portal Victorian literature Yellow backReferences edit a b I Ousby ed The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English 1995 p 844 Muller C Victorian Sensationalism The Short Stories of Wilkie Collins Unisa English Studies 11 1 1973 12 13 Web 8 Jun 2014 a b c d Hughes Winifred The Maniac in the Cellar Princeton Princeton University 1980 Print a b Pykett Lyn The Newgate novel and sensation fiction 1830 1868 Crime Fiction Ed Martin Priestman Cambridge Cambridge University 2003 19 39 Print a b c Talairach Vielmas Laurence Sensation Fiction A Peep Behind the Veil The Victorian Gothic Ed Smith Andrew and William Hughes Edinburgh Edinburgh University 2012 29 42 Print Loesberg Jonathan Ideology of Narrative Form in Sensation University of California 1986 JSTOR Web 10 Jun 2014 Saunders Otley amp Co s Literature Literary Budget 1 Nov 1861 38 Web 10 Jun 2014 Tillotson Kathleen 1969 Introduction to The Woman in White p xv Dover Publications New York ISBN 0140289712 Hughes Winifred 2002 Brantlinger Patrick ed A Companion to the Victorian Novel Oxford Blackwell p 261 Adams James Eli A History of Victorian Literature Chichester Wiley Blackwell 2009 Web 4 Jun 2014 See Allingham Philip V The Victorian Sensation Novel 1860 1880 preaching to the nerves instead of the judgment Victorian Web 1 last updated 4 May 2006 Web 15 May 2009 Quoted in H Bloom ed The Victorian Novel 2004 p 113 See Hughes Winifred The Maniac in the Cellar Sensation Novels of the 1860s Princeton Princeton UP 1980 Mullan John 4 April 2014 John Mullan on The Luminaries Guardian book club The Guardian Sarah Waters discusses Fingersmith BBC Radio 4 Bookclub 07 March 2004 Sensational stories Sarah Waters on the echoes of sensation novels in Fingersmith The Guardian 17 June 2006 Further reading editHughes Winifred 1980 The Maniac in the Cellar Princeton University Press External links editSensation BBC Radio 4 discussion with John Mullan Lyn Pykett amp Dinah Birch In Our Time Nov 6 2003 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sensation novel amp oldid 1189473320, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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