The Ironic Space

The Ironic Space is a highly original study which explores how Kantian epistemology opens a critical window onto the inner form of nineteenth-century realist texts. By tracing the outlines of German idealism, the author describes a philosophical and literary paradigm, which reveals the many contours of irony in Stendhal's Le Rouge et le noir, Goncharov's A Common Story, and Meredith's The Ordeal of Richard Feverel. The readings not only illuminate surprising aspects of the novels, but also demonstrate how their philosophical grounding problematizes the reading process.