Realism Reconsidered: New Approaches in Novel Studies.

This article discusses four recent works of scholarship that challenge traditional ideas about the novel and its role in literature. The authors argue for new approaches to understanding novels, moving away from the dominance of realism and exploring different perspectives. Scott Black suggests centering the history of fiction around romance instead of the realist novel, while Wendy Anne Lee examines the concept of insensibility in eighteenth-century fiction. Anna Kornbluh rethinks realism as an abstract modeling of social space, and Elaine Freedgood challenges the paradigm of realism in Victorian novels. These works contribute to a broader debate within novel studies and invite readers to reconsider their understanding of the novel. [Extracted from the article]