Abstract
Mikhail Bakhtin sensitively pointed out the demand for an exact place and time in eighteenth-century European sentimental novels. This article argues that the emphasis on specific time and place is only one aspect of the artistic pursuit of sentimental novels. In terms of time, sentimental novels abandon objective time that is linear, uniform and measurable and instead extend some moments in accordance with the inner feelings of characters. In terms of space, authors of such novels prefer pastoral and lake areas with picturesque scenes and sentimental feelings. The time and space in sentimental novels do not, as Bakhtin said, intend to deliberately create a sense of reality as demanded by early naive realism, but are often a precursor to romanticism that integrates emotions and imaginations. The fragmented and ruined spatial form of sentimental novels deeply reflects the rise of emotional culture in the mid- and late-eighteenth century. The idea of time and space in sentimental novels not only reveals the critique of modernity in the romantic movement but also implies the exploration of the inner space and time of modernist fictions. Their fragmented narrative is also a valuable attempt to explore the relationship between readers and works.
Keywords
the eighteenth century, sentimental novels, time, space
First Page
93
Last Page
103
Recommended Citation
Zhu, Yan. 2024. "Time and Space in the Eighteenth-Century European Sentimental Novels." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 43, (5): pp.93-103. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol43/iss5/10
