Georg Lukács, Sylvia Townsend Warner and The Historical Novel

Abstract

Georg Lukács’s seminal work The Historical Novel has a peculiar position in contemporary literary scholarship: while no one fully agrees with Lukács’s theory, it remains a haunting presence that affects any discussion of the genre. This article argues for a radical historicisation of this text as a means to move beyond narrow and prescriptive definitions of historical fiction. For that purpose, it employs Sylvia Townsend Warner’s writings on the topic and her forgotten critical engagement with The Historical Novel and Lukács himself.

Keywords

• Georg Lukács
• Sylvia Townsend Warner
• Walter Scott
• historical novel
• International Literature
• Soviet cultural diplomacy