Introduction [excerpt] This paper argues that the history of the novel is a huge endeavor that needs to recognize and evaluate both male- and female-authored novels to be valid and complete. While it is true that this is massive project that would require years of research and study (which, at this time, is not feasible for the author of this paper), it is an endeavor that needs to be completed to truly understand the development of the novel in English. As a step in that direction, this paper shows that Behn...

Introduction [excerpt] In this paper, I will examine the reception histories of Ice-Candy-Man and Nervous Conditions, the major nationalist and feminist theories that have influenced the criticism of the novels, and the scholarship's emphasis on the political in the novels to show how, so far, the literary questions of genre and form have been ignored in favor of the political. Next, I will critically look at the historical background of the...