Realism and Romance in the National Tale: The Re-Evaluation of the British and Irish Novel in the Romantic Period

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25370276
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Literature in English
• Research Institution: Gakushuin University (2014-2015); Hitotsubashi University (2013)
• Principal Investigator: Yoshino Yuri 学習院大学, 文学部, 准教授 (70377050)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: ロマン派 / 国民小説 / リアリズム / ロマンス / イギリス / アイルランド / 文学史

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research project aims to examine the conflation of realism and romance in major national tales as a literary response to the political reality of the Union of Great Britain and Ireland, and the expansion of the British Empire. The findings have identified the intricate narrative modes of the national tales as crucial to the representation of the cultural other as well as the ideal leaders of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, which aims to evoke British readers’ sympathy. The results have contributed to the ongoing debate about the significance of the Romantic-era novel, especially its deviation from conventional realism, in literary history.

Free Research Field

人文学