Introduction: Exoticising the Past in Contemporary Neo-Historical Fiction

Abstract

Over the last few decades, historical fiction has experienced a remarkable recrudescence, with a growing number of critically acclaimed authors (such as Hilary Mantel, Ian McEwan and Sarah Waters) exploiting the creative possibilities the genre affords, and the creation in 2009 of its very own literary award, the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction. Boasting one of the largest monetary prizes of its kind in the United Kingdom, the Walter Scott Prize is indicative of how critically recognised — as well as commercially successful — historical fiction has become. Amidst this recent explosion, one trend in particular has come to prominence, a trend characterised by its critical re-appraisal of specific historical periods and of their social, cultural, and political contexts. This is particularly evident, for instance, in the development of the very successful ‘neo-Victorian’ novel (as with A. S. Byatt’s Possession (1990) and Peter Carey’s Jack Maggs (1997)), and its concomitant field of critical studies.