This collection examines the intersection of historical recollection, strategies of representation, and reading practices in historical fiction from the eighteenth century to today. In shifting focus to the agency of the reader and taking a long historical view, the collection brings a new perspective to the field of historical representation.

This collection examines the intersection of historical recollection, strategies of representation, and reading practices in historical fiction from the eighteenth century to today. In shifting focus to the agency of the reader and taking a long historical view, the collection brings a new perspective to the field of historical representation.

A PDF version of this book is available for free in open access via the OAPEN Library platform, www.oapen.org. Arguing that neo-Victorian fiction enacts and celebrates cultural memory, this book uses memory discourse to position these novels as dynamic participants in the contemporary historical imaginary.

A PDF version of this book is available for free in open access via the OAPEN Library platform, www.oapen.org.
Examining recent rewritings of the Victorian period by authors such asA. S. Byatt, Sarah Waters, Gail Jones and Graham Swift, "Victorian Afterimages" explores the way in which neo-Victorian fictions enact and celebrate the power of cultural memory in an age historically obsessed and yet charged with the inability to think historically.

When Jessica Carleton, a shy eleven year old from a poor family in Brooklyn who had their fair share of trouble, goes to live with the wealthy Bishop family on Manhattan's Upper East Side, she quickly learns that just because you have money does not mean you're happy. As the years pass, she grows to love the family, and although they never officially consider her to be a member of it, she becomes an important part all the same. Everything goes well until the Christensons arrive a little over ten years later. A devious, clever, and good-looking brother and sister from Connecticut, individually they stir up trouble, but together they wreak havoc. Soon enough Jess realizes that unless she stands up for herself for the first time in her life, she will lose all that she has come to treasure. She has to make a choice: either lose the family that never really accepted her and try to start over one more time, or take a stand for what she believes in. For the quiet, unassuming young woman, this is no easy decision. A different kind of coming of age story for anyone who has ever been unsure of themselves, this novel watches over the Bishop family in Manhattan and all of their endeavors. It follows Jess as she makes mistakes, does her best to correct them, and maybe, just maybe, works her way into the hearts of the Bishop family for good using her heart, her mind, and without using money at all.