Abstract
This essay positions James's "Art of Fiction" essay in the context of the Darwinian-inspired discourse that saturated literary culture in the decades following the Civil War. Drawing on the roots of this discourse in Kant's and Goethe's theories of morphology, as well as evolutionary concepts drawn from Darwin, in his essay James argues the novel's nature is parallel to that of biological forms and so, like them, should not be constrained in its development by a priori laws or standards of judgment.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
