Empowerment as a concept is making its impact on the field of literary studies. This volume shows its intricate relation to contemporary fiction in English with a broad range of approaches such as feminist, transcultural, and intersectional studies and dealing with genres as diverse as dystopia, science fiction, TV adaptations, the historical novel and immigrant fiction.

This is the first monograph of its kind to introduce and theorise empowerment as a new critical concept within contemporary literary studies. This book will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in David Mitchell’s fictional universe as it offers fresh perspectives on his composition of an "Über-book", his narrative strategies and agenda, and ways of engaging the reader. This study is the first to situate David Mitchell’s novels within the context of eudaimonic reading and provide a comprehensive framework for reading fiction through the lens of empowerment. This book argues for a stronger interdisciplinary orientation of literary studies to understand how practices of storytelling are enmeshed in discourses of power. It may thus be relevant to academics and practitioners from fields such as history, philosophy, sociology, political science, psychology, pedagogy or economics.