POPULAR FICTION IN FRANCE AND ENGLAND, 1860- 1875 : CONVENTION, IRONY AND AMBIVALENCE IN THE NOVELS OF PAUL FÉVAL AND WILKIE COLLINS Elisabeth Picq A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2000 Full metadata for this item is available in St Andrews Research Repository at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11112 This item is protected by original copyright Popular Fiction in France and England, 1860-1875 Convention, irony and ambivalence in the novels of Paul Feval and Wilkie Collins Dissertation submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews by Elisabeth Picq School of Modern Languages School of English University of St Andrews 1st February 2000 ii Abstract This thesis is a comparative study of two popular nineteenth-century writers, Paul Feval and Wilkie Collins, and by extension, of their respective traditions, the Roman-Feuilleton and the Sensation novel. At the same time, the thesis seeks to provide new insight into the nature and function of popular fiction as a genre. This study argues that, contrary to common assumptions, popular fiction is a complex and dialogic form. As a comparative project, this thesis underscores similarities and differences between the two writers. Chapter I looks at the narrative structures of the novels. It demonstrates that the use of archetypal story-patterns and characters leaves room for 'both thoughtful and ironically playful narrative experiments, resulting in a surprising degree of self-reflexivity. Chapter Il emphasises the dialogic nature of the texts by examining the ways they evoke and rework different genres and registers. It argues that the mingling of tones and moods serves both to stimulate readers' pleasure and to convey criticism of contemporary society. Making use of Mikhall Bakhtin's theories on popular culture, this section highlights the carnivalesque nature of the texts. Chapter III addresses in detail the formal influence of the theatre on the two sets of texts and investigates the use of theatrical metaphors in the novels as a way to explore the workings of society. Chapter IV sets out to redress common assumptions about the conservatism of Feval's narratives and the radical nature of Collins' novels by highlighting the existence of two contrary discourses, one manichean and conservative, the other rebellious and immoral. Chapter V makes use of Rene Girard's theory of the scapegoat. By showing how the two discourses articulate around a scapegoat figure, it draws a parallel between the mechanisms of popular fiction and social mechanisms. Finally, this section argues that both Feval and Collins were aware of the ideological charge of the form they were using and of its limitations. i i i Declarations i). I, Elisabeth Picq, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 100,000 words in length, has been written by me, that is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. date: signature of candidate , ii). I was admitted as a research student in October 1995 and as a candidate for the degree of Ph.D. in January 1996; the higher degree for which this is a record was carried out at the University of St Andrews between 1996 and 2000. signature of candidate I iii). I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of Ph.D. in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. date signature of supervisor iv iv). In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews, I understand that I am giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. I also understand that the title and abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker. date signature of the candidate l I v Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisors, Mr. Phillip Mallett for his constant help and encouragement, and for his understanding in difficult times, and Dr Peter Read for his stimulating advice. I am very grateful to the School of Modern Languages and the School of English for providing me with financial support and teaching experience; to all the staff from the French and the English Departments, especially Madame Scott, for advice and support related to teaching matters; to all the secretaries from the English and the French Departments, especially Barbara Mclntyre, for their assistance. I am most grateful to Frederique Stintzy and Michael Abecassis for their constant friendship, and to all those students from the French, English and History Departments who shared their experience of postgraduate studies with me. My thanks are most due to my parents and M. and Mme. Racaut for moral and financial support; Luc Racaut for providing initial impetus for this thesis, regular proof reading, constant advice and support at key stages of the writing process, and Josh Hill for editing and precious assistance in the last stage of writing up. VI Table of Contents Title-page Abstract i i Declarations i i i Acknowledgements v Table of contents vi Introduction 1 Chapter I: Narrative structures 32 Introduction 32 Part 1. Narrative structures in Paul Feval's Les Habits Noirs 33 A. Nature and organisation of the narrative 33 B. Temporal structures of the narrative 42 C. Nature and role of the narrator 49 Part 2. Narrative structures in the novels of Wilkie Collins 54 A. Nature and organisation of the narrative 54 B. Temporal structures of the narrative 67 C. Nature and role of the narrator 72 Conclusion 79 Chapter 11: Genres and registers 81 Introduction 80 Part 1. Genres and registers in Paul Feval's Les Habits Noirs 82 A. Realism and imagination: the romanesque voice 82 B. The mixed genre: an indirect comment on life and society 92 C. Dialogism and popularity of the Roman-Feuilleton 105 Vll Part 2. Genres and registers in the novels of Wilkie Collins 110 A. The Sensation novels: subverting domestic realism 110 B. Influence of French fiction on Collins 121 C. Gothicising the domestic: exposing the dark side of Victorian society 125 D. Dialogism and carnivalisation: the 'popularity' of the Sensation novel 132 Conclusion 135 Chapter Ill: Theatre and the novel 138 Introduction 138 Part 1. the theatre in Paul Feval's Les Habits Noirs 140 A. A question of form: the theatricality of Les Habits Noirs 140 B. Theatre as a recurring motif within the texts 147 Part 2. The theatre in the novels of Wilkie Collins 157 A. The Sensation novels of Wilkie Collins and the stage: formal affinities 157 B. Exploring the theatrical metaphor 166 Conclusion 176 Chapter IV: Heroes and villains: manicheism and moral ambiguity 178 Introduction 178 Part 1. Manicheism and ambiguity in Paul Feval's Les Habits Noirs 179 A. Manicheism and the Roman-Feuilleton: the melodramatic impulse 179 B. Ambiguity in Les Habits Noirs: an early prototype of the thriller 188 Part 2. Manicheism and ambiguity in the. novels of Wilkie Collins 201 A. The simplifying structures 202 B. The complex counter-structures 214 Conclusion 227 Vlll Chapter V: The scapegoat mechanism 230 Introduction 230 Part 1. Rene Girard and the scapegoat theory 232 A. The surrogate victim theory 232 B. Cultural and ideological implications of the scapegoat theory 233 C. Scapegoating and popular formulas 235 Part 2. The scapegoat figure in Paul Feval's Les Habits Noirs 241 A. The two sides of the Roman-Feuilleton 241 B. Paul Feval's Les Habits Noirs 244 Part 3. The scapegoat mechanism in the novels of Wilkie Collins 253 A. Domestic fiction and the Sensation novels: two kinds of popular fiction 253 B. The scapegoat mechanism in the novels of Wilkie Collins 256 Conclusion 263 Conclusion 266 Bibliography 280 1 Introduction This thesis is concerned with the comparative study of Paul F6val and Wilkie Collins as representatives of two similar kinds of popular novels, the English Sensation novel and the French Roman-Feuilleton as they both stood in the 1860s. This introduction is divided into five sections, corresponding to five different aims. The first aim is to map out the context of the issues addressed by the thesis, beginning with an overall view of the Roman-Feuilleton and the Sensation novel as literary and cultural phenomena, and following with an outline of their characteristic features. The two genres will be related to the rise of the popular press in France and England. Their method of publication and the nature of their readership will be examined, and their relationships with earlier literary forms briefly sketched. The second aim of this introduction IS to provide some elements of justification as to the comparative nature of this study and the choice of authors. This will be done by outlining some cross-Channel links and exchanges specific to the period studied and to the two chosen authors. As will be argued, the study of popular fiction in the 1860s benefits from a comparative approach due to the cross-fertilisation characterising French and English fiction of the time. Furthermore, certain similarities in the careers of both Collins and F6val are worth investigating. The two writers shared the same literary models, and both had a passion for the stage. They had a similar understanding of the literary frame in which they worked.