The novel of circulation, also known as the it-narrative or object narrative, is a genre of novel once common in British literature that follows the fortunes of an object, such as a coin, as it passes between different owners, or sometimes a pet or other domestic animal. These works blended satire with the reader's interest in a roman a clef, and used circulating objects such as hackney carriages and bank notes to interrogate what it meant to live in an increasingly mobile society and to consider the effect of circulation on human relations.
Facts
Place of Origin Notable ExampleThe Golden Spy by Charles Gildon (1709) 1 Defining TraitFollows the fortunes of an object, such as a coin, passed between different owners 1 FAQs
Which book is regarded as the first full it-narrative in English?
Charles Gildon's The Golden Spy (1709).
Charles Gildon's The Golden Spy, published in 1709, has been regarded by modern scholars as the first fully fledged it-narrative in English. That makes it an early model for the novel of circulation, where the story follows an object as it passes between different owners.
Connections
In the Other Atlases
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Sources
1. Novel of circulation - Wikipedia
Lead, sentence 1, genre clause
a genre of novel common at one time in British literature
Examples
Charles Gildon, The Golden Spy has been regarded by modern scholars as "the first, fully-fledged it-narrative in English"
Lead, sentence 1, plot clause
follows the fortunes of an object, for example a coin, that is passed around between different owners
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