The novel and the world: The epistemology of fiction and the eclipse of tradition

This essay is a formulation of the epistemology of the novel which is intended to be of use to literary critics. Starting with the assertion that the meaning of a fiction lies in its relationship to the world, the first chapter attempts to validate the assertion and give a specific account of the relationship. The chapter begins with a criticism of Georg Lukacs' orthodox epistemology, particularly his notion that a novel "reflects" the meaning of the objective world. The search for an alternative to Lukacs proceeds from Raymond Williams' criticism of the reduction which is implied by the notion of reflection, and from Clifford Geertz's criticism of the idea that ideology pervades all forms of consciousness. In the second and third chapters I examine some of the novels of John Barth and Thomas Pynchon, and attempt to discuss the new reading of human action which they contain. Their emphasis on the fictional use of history complements the theories of Arendt and Habermas. In a concluding chapter I summarize my findings and stress the importance of new fiction for providing new insights into a changing world of human action. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...