Flat protagonists : a theory of novel character

209 Pages·2016·5.894 MB·English

by  Figlerowicz, Marta

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FLAT PROTAGONISTS
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FLAT PROTAGONISTS
A Theory of Novel Character
Marta Figlerowicz
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Figlerowicz, Marta author.
Title: Flat protagonists : a theory of novel character / Marta Figlerowicz.
Description: Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2016. |
Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016018976 (print) | LCCN 2016039589 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780190496760 (cloth) | ISBN 9780190496777 (updf)
Subjects: LCSH: Fiction—History and criticism. |
Characters and characteristics in literature.
Classification: LCC PN3411 .F55 2016 (print) | LCC PN3411 (ebook) |
DDC 808.3/97—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016018976
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Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc., United States of America
A version of chapter 1 initially appeared as “‘Frightful Spectacles of a Mangled King’:
Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko and Narration Through Theater,” New Literary History 39.2:
321–334; Copyright (c) 2008 New Literary History, The University of Virginia.
An early draft of chapter 2 initially appeared as “Rester femme, devenir personne:
l’externalisation dans les Lettres de Mistriss Henley,” Dix-huitième siècle 42 (2011):
673–686. I thank both journals for their permission to reprint revised versions
of these essays.
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To my sister Matylda
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments  ix
Introduction  1
1. The Prince  21
2. The Writer  49
3. The Misfit  91
4. The Solipsist  128
Conclusion  170
Bibliography  173
Index 185
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book has benefited from the advice and support of many men-
tors and colleagues who responded to successive drafts of it over
the years. Elaine Scarry first gave me the confidence to pursue these
ideas, and Dorothy Hale pushed me to sharpen them considerably
beyond what I could have imagined. Their mentorship and friendship
have been a great and unexpected gift. Brendan O’Neill at Oxford
University Press shepherded this manuscript toward publication
with a patience and commitment for which I feel continued grati-
tude. Michael M. Weinstein, Ayesha Ramachandran, and my anon-
ymous readers at Oxford University Press gave me amazing advice
when I most needed it. Matylda Figlerowicz, Catherine Gallagher,
Len Gutkin, Zachary Manfredi, and Daniel Williams read large por-
tions of this book and offered much valuable feedback. Other col-
leagues and teachers who generously commented on this work
include C. F. S. Creasy, James Engell, Philip Fisher, Jennifer Hudin,
Christie McDonald, Jennifer Pranolo, John Searle, Janet Sorensen,
Grace Tiao, and Katie Trumpener. I thank them all for their insights,
challenges, and counterarguments. I also thank the students whom
I taught at Yale in spring 2015— particularly Kyra Morris, Vaclav
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