Novel of Circulation (It-Narrative, Circulation Narrative)

(2260 words)

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

.Novel of Circulation. and .It-Narrative. are both terms coined to describe a particular sub-genre of fiction which developed in the eighteenth century, and has come under critical scrutiny in the last thirty years. These works recount the adventures of a non-human protagonist, such as a coin, a dog, a pin-cushion or a hackney coach, as it travels through society, encountering diverse characters and incidents. The coin describes its life story, and the numerous individuals into whose hands it falls, as it circulates through society. The hackney coach provides portraits of its various passengers; dogs and cats give an insider.s view of the lives of their numerous masters. While the framework of these narratives is loosely based around t…


Bellamy, Liz. "Novel of Circulation (It-Narrative, Circulation Narrative)". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 April 2005
[, accessed 29 July 2014.]

Related Groups

  1. Novelistic Genres