'Ideals on an Island: The Manx Novels of Hall Caine'
Date(s): September 2008
Creator(s): Coulson, Rosalind
Scope & Content: Master of Letters dissertation in Victorian Literature submitted to the Department of English Literature, University of Glasgow. Rosalind Coulson examines Hall Caine's nineteenth century fiction set on the Isle of Man, focusing on the novels The Deemster (1887) and The Manxman (1894). She explores the author's ideology and ambition in writing fiction which is influenced by the Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood, and how the Manx setting is used to comment on late-Victorian society. She posits the idea that 'through the form of the Manx novel, Caine attempts to create an idealist world which shows admirable conclusions to realistic problems through the construction of an appropriate hero'. That is, 'In his Manx novels the author creates a liminal space in which he can form his 'ideal' responses to the problems'. Chapters covered: novel synopses and introduction; setting, genre and ideology; 'Graih my Chree' and the Pre Raphaelite influence; constructing heroism; Caine's idealized world.
Language: English
Extent: 1 volume
Item name: dissertation
Collection: Manuscript Archive
Level: ITEM
ID number: MS 11995
Record class: Private
Access conditions: No regulations or restrictions are implemented on this material. Advance notification of a research visit is advisable by emailing library@mnh.gov.im