Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Prometheus357 t1_j7tg27f wrote

Ooo I know!

Ironically it was commonplace in literature to create a sense of realism in fiction. The authors would “redact” these names and places giving the reader the impression that the author wanted to protect certain privacies leaving the reader not knowing if the work was real or not. So Frankenstein was that much more terrifying

The more I learned about them the more I came to love them.

1,496

runningstitch t1_j7twt1d wrote

It's also more common in older novels, so I wonder if it is a vestige of the novel working itself out as a distinct art form. Early experiments with the novel played around with ways to suggest this all really happened - epistolary novels are an example of this as is the framing of both Frankenstein and The Scarlet Letter (found this old box of papers in the attic of the custom house, you'll never believe what they said!).

Today we see new forms of storytelling emerging, and you see folks experimenting to find what works. I'm thinking about how the Lizzie Bennet Diaries mimics a blogger talking directly to the camera, while later episodes and projects begin to have the camera "accidentally" catch & post moments.

319

creaturecomforts13 t1_j7v4tw0 wrote

Yes! It was explained to me when I studied "the novel" as part of my English Lit degree. When the novel first emerged, they were seen as frivolous because they were fictional (and also because they were popular with women). A lot of authors tried to get around that by framing them as epistolary, retellings of stories they heard from a friend of a friend of a... or cautionary tales.

It's one of my favourite little known facts!

174

runningstitch t1_j7v8lcc wrote

The newly literate female reader is also why so many early novels are moralistic in nature. Richardson couldn't help but jump at the chance to warn women against... well, having a thought of their own.

94

Complex_Dragonfly_59 t1_j7vjom2 wrote

Absolutely! Interestingly, there are many female novelists prior to Richardson (Eliza Haywood is perhaps the best known example ) who wrote much racier, less “moral” work, which was very popular with readers of all genders. Richardson is reacting to an already well-established genre of “romances.”

26

Caleb_Trask19 t1_j7vyxui wrote

This is true of Dangerous Liaisons which I’m reading now.

8

Electrical_Jaguar596 t1_j7y1x3h wrote

I just read The Color Purple, which is epistolary and also redacts a person’s name like this. I wonder if Alice Walker was deliberately mimicking early novels (maybe as a statement about the newness of the black voice in literature?).

4

ytman t1_j7v8x38 wrote

Hah. So House of Leaves is basically the logical conclusion of the Scarlet Letter?

16

runningstitch t1_j7vbrxo wrote

Ok, now I need to read House of Leaves.

13

ytman t1_j7vc73f wrote

Its wild. A manuscript of a indepth analysis of movie no one has seen or heard of is found by some guy who assembles it together and intersperse journal like entries of their life throughout footnotes. Oh and the manuscript was written by a blind man.

20

AnAquaticOwl t1_j7vly57 wrote

Technically the manuscript was dictated by a blind man. And the guy writing the footnotes gradually goes insane as the narrative goes on

18

sneakzilla t1_j7vks8u wrote

One of my favorite reading experiences. Worth experiencing for sure!

6

JeffCentaur t1_j7w71bc wrote

The current book series John Dies at the End does this. It purports itself to be set in our reality, in contemporary time, and so the main narrator consistently refers to the town they live in as "Undisclosed" to stop people from coming to the "most haunted town in the US" as tourists after reading the books.

28

avalon1805 t1_j7we2cq wrote

These types of novels are called epistolary novels, they are written as a series of letters between people.

The book "Dangerous liaisons" also does this. It even comes with a foreword from the author stating that the following letters are real conversations between french nobles, so that he had to redact some names and exclude some of the more explicit letters.

16

tke494 t1_j7uaywi wrote

I think for some books, it's because the author is acting like he is trying to keep things private because he doesn't want the science to become public knowledge.

It is supposed to be a journal.

12

LiveOnFive t1_j7wp0pw wrote

I always wondered this about names in older novels as well. Like you'll see a character referred to as "Mr. M----". Same thing?

8

mysteryofthefieryeye t1_j7x6t3a wrote

I always wondered how you were supposed to read this in your head. Do you say Mr. M? ("Mr. Em") or can you make up a name, like Mr. Montrose...

i'm learning quite a bit from these comments though!

2

SirZacharia t1_j7ug00n wrote

Kay now explain it for House of Leaves

6

Prometheus357 t1_j7urc5q wrote

I think House of Leaves is very much a modern example of this form of writing (and every other work in that genre) Right? HOL is a compilation of various notes and sketches of a persons experience in a house that appears to be haunted. It’s supposed to leave us the reader curious if what is being read real.

21

42Cobras t1_j7xllly wrote

One of my favorite novels is Wells' "The Time Machine." I love how he redacted the main character's name so that it would seem like a true story. I know it's been used everywhere, but this was my favorite usage in particular.

5

[deleted] t1_j7xd6uz wrote

Ohhh I wonder if that's common in other literature as well! I recently finished a book by a Korean author and another by a Japanese author and both of them would use XX when referring to streets and apartment numbers. I just assumed they didn't feel like creating a fake one, but it would make a lot more sense if those were redacted for the sake of privacy.

3

CurnanBarbarian t1_j7xdwkz wrote

Interesting!! the first time i came across this was in middle school when i was reading Les Miserables. I never could figure out why the name of the town was Le _____

2

overthought10 t1_j8009mn wrote

I just finished Crime and Punishment, and I wondered! Thanks!!

2