Systems of Order and Inquiry in Later Eighteenth-Century Fiction by Eric Rothstein reconceives the "rules" of the novel not as prescriptive poetics but as interacting systems--of narrative order and epistemological inquiry--shared by five famously unlike works: Rasselas, Tristram Shandy, Humphry Clinker, Amelia, and Caleb Williams. Rejecting eighteenth-century critics' elusive search for universal principles, Rothstein demonstrates how techniques such as analogy, modification, surrogacy, and incremental repetition generate ...
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Systems of Order and Inquiry in Later Eighteenth-Century Fiction by Eric Rothstein reconceives the "rules" of the novel not as prescriptive poetics but as interacting systems--of narrative order and epistemological inquiry--shared by five famously unlike works: Rasselas, Tristram Shandy, Humphry Clinker, Amelia, and Caleb Williams. Rejecting eighteenth-century critics' elusive search for universal principles, Rothstein demonstrates how techniques such as analogy, modification, surrogacy, and incremental repetition generate coherence while sustaining variety, aligning formal pattern with the novels' central concern: how one knows in a world governed by probability rather than certitude. The result is a historically grounded account in which Fielding, Johnson, Smollett, Sterne, and Godwin articulate cognate strategies for managing perspective, character, and causation--without collapsing their singular achievements into a single "ought." Rothstein's method pairs close modeling of each novel's internal logic with a crisp intellectual genealogy--from Locke and Hartley to Butler and Hume--showing how Enlightenment debates over "esprit de syst???me," empiricism, and analogy inform narrative design. By tracing how readerly inference and character judgment are orchestrated through patterned variation, the book offers critics a powerful vocabulary for explaining why these fictions feel both rigorously shaped and provocatively open. Scholars of eighteenth-century literature, narrative theory, and the history of ideas will find here a compelling framework that clarifies the kinship among diverse forms--sentimental, epistolary, picaresque, Gothic--while sharpening our sense of what the period's novels can (and cannot) make knowable. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1975.
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Add this copy of Systems of Order and Inquiry in Later Eighteenth to cart. $16.54, very good condition, Sold by MW Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Galway, G, IRELAND, published 1975 by Berkeley: University of California Press.
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Physical description: 274 pages; 23 cm. Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Contents: [1. ] Rasselas: Modifications and analogies--The blueprint of Rasselas--The journey to Theodicy--Postscript--[2. ] Tristram shandy: Personal eye, familial myself--Episodes and volumes--[3. ] Humphry Clinker: The armature of characters--The fabric of Humphry Clinker--[4. ] Amelia: The epistemology of a veiled world--Booth's system (books I-VII)--The widening view (books VII-XII)--[5. ] Caleb Williams: History into romance--Romance into history--A conclusion in which everything and nothing is concluded--[6. ] The historical hypothesis. Subjects: English fiction 18th century History and criticism; Order (Philosophy) in literature; Inquiry (Theory of knowledge); Fiction in English, 1745-1800 Critical studies; Fiction in English 1745-1800; English Fiction History & Criticism 18th c. Very good cloth copy in a good if somewhat edge-nicked and dust-dulled dust-wrapper, now mylar-sleeved. Remains quite well-preserved overall.
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New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 286 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Fine. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 286 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Systems of Order and Inquiry in Later Eighteenth to cart. $102.41, new condition, Sold by Books2anywhere rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fairford, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2021 by University of California Press.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 286 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
