Political Novels

[Paulclem]

I've just read this article in The Guardian online.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/17/ahdaf-soueif-politics-fiction

The author, Ahdaf Soueif, is an Egyptian, and she discusses the problem of what and when to write in the light of the political turmoil there.

Clearly, there is a spectrum of novels - those for entertainment and the literary for example - but are all novels implicitly political, or just those with an agenda set by the author?

[AuntShecky]

At some point, the "political" novel, if it lasts, becomes the historical novel.
Among our best modern authors--Tolstoy, Dostovesky, Kafka-- could all be considered "political" in a broad sense. If you consider social and economic themes "political" you could include Dickens-- and several great American authors: Steinbeck, of course, and--though many LitNutters will disagree with me--Upton Sinclair. And if you allow the literary borders to bleed-- look how many poets (the British right after WWI), British and Americans after WWII right up through the VietNam era were political.

Last week we lost a great though accessible novelist, Gore Vidal. Every word he wrote was unapologetically political. I consider some of his works to be classic-- Lincoln, Burr, 1876. He had a entertaining, wickedly witty writing style.

[Emil Miller]

I've just read this article in The Guardian online.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/17/ahdaf-soueif-politics-fiction

The author, Ahdaf Soueif, is an Egyptian, and she discusses the problem of what and when to write in the light of the political turmoil there.

Clearly, there is a spectrum of novels - those for entertainment and the literary for example - but are all novels implicitly political, or just those with an agenda set by the author?

If we take George Orwell as the supreme example of a political writer, who claimed that he had never written anything except in the cause of democratic socialism, we have an author whose agenda is clearly stated, but as someone who has written a novel from the opposite side of the political spectrum, my intention wasn't to support one particular party but to demonstrate how all parties in the UK since WWII had failed the country until necessity forced a relatively right wing party into office.

[Paulclem]

At some point, the "political" novel, if it lasts, becomes the historical novel.
Among our best modern authors--Tolstoy, Dostovesky, Kafka-- could all be considered "political" in a broad sense. If you consider social and economic themes "political" you could include Dickens-- and several great American authors: Steinbeck, of course, and--though many LitNutters will disagree with me--Upton Sinclair. And if you allow the literary borders to bleed-- look how many poets (the British right after WWI), British and Americans after WWII right up through the VietNam era were political.

Last week we lost a great though accessible novelist, Gore Vidal. Every word he wrote was unapologetically political. I consider some of his works to be classic-- Lincoln, Burr, 1876. He had a entertaining, wickedly witty writing style.


Interesting point about political becoming historical, and undoubtedly true. The article seems to suggest that a poitical novel should come after political events have been worked through. This suggests that there is a window where a novel is politically relevant, though the time duration of this may well differ from work to work.

[Paulclem]

If we take George Orwell as the supreme example of a political writer, who claimed that he had never written anything except in the cause of democratic socialism, we have an author whose agenda is clearly stated, but as someone who has written a novel from the opposite side of the political spectrum, my intention wasn't to support one particular party but to demonstrate how all parties in the UK since WWII had failed the country until necessity forced a relatively right wing party into office.

Critical of a political culture then, rather than of a particular political creed?

I wonder what you think of the view that an overtly political novel is one thing, but that even genre novels - such as crime fiction - reflect the status quo, as they are a function of a politically settled society.

[Emil Miller]

Interesting point about political becoming historical, and undoubtedly true. The article seems to suggest that a poitical novel should come after political events have been worked through. This suggests that there is a window where a novel is politically relevant, though the time duration of this may well differ from work to work.

This is without doubt true; looking at the publication date of my own book I'm surprised to see that it is 2004, during which time we have had New Labour's attempt to ditch the cloth cap image for an internationalist let 'em all come in stance, to an almost impossible to believe alliance between the Conservatives and Liberals. If it wasn't so tragic it would be laughable.

[Emil Miller]

Critical of a political culture then, rather than of a particular political creed?

I wonder what you think of the view that an overtly political novel is one thing, but that even genre novels - such as crime fiction - reflect the status quo, as they are a function of a politically settled society.

Unfortunately these posts were crossed. Yes I speak of the political culture that has prevailed since 1945 but I don't think that genre novels reflect the times in which they are written, rather the opposite insofar as they are a form of escapism.

[Paulclem]

Unfortunately these posts were crossed. Yes I speak of the political culture that has prevailed since 1945 but I don't think that genre novels reflect the times in which they are written, rather the opposite insofar as they are a form of escapism.

I agree that they are escapist, but it seems counter intuitive to have flourishing escapist novels when things are politically stable. I merely note this, rather than argue it. Perhaps a lack of political "action" means people seek thrills in fiction.

[Emil Miller]

I agree that they are escapist, but it seems counter intuitive to have flourishing escapist novels when things are politically stable. I merely note this, rather than argue it. Perhaps a lack of political "action" means people seek thrills in fiction.

George Orwell's essay about working in a bookshop shows the intellectual's frustration with the escapist novels that the customers wanted while the curtain was coming down on everyone including themselves. This is also reflected in Louis MacNeice's poem Bagpipe Music from the same period in which the most quoted lines are:

It's no go the Yogi-Man, it's no go Blavatsky,
All we want is a bank balance and a bit of skirt in a taxi.

[JBI]

There Is a difference between political aspects of a text and texts as pure politics. Steinbeck was a humanist writer who charged his work with the struggles in which he wrote it. The same can be said of almost any realist novelist. Or any nOvelist who uses aspects of realism in their work. As it is, most fiction In the last 150 years has political aspects. Even fantasy rubbish is not exempt.

[prendrelemick]

Ahdaf Soueif should write her story now. It will be more valuble if she does. I say this because of what I have been reading lately (Plutarch and Emil Miller.) It seems that any book, political or historical, says more about the times it was written in, than the times it is written about.

[Emil Miller]

Ahdaf Soueif should write her story now. It will be more valuble if she does. I say this because of what I have been reading lately (Plutarch and Emil Miller.) It seems that any book, political or historical, says more about the times it was written in, than the times it is written about.

Plutarch eh? I never thought that I would keep such illustrious company.

[Summer M]

Plutarch eh? I never thought that I would keep such illustrious company.

I'm sure Plutarch feels the same.

[Emil Miller]

I'm sure Plutarch feels the same.

'tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.