| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
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strand to the cultural narrative and bridge the gap between personal memory and cultural history.
Social theorists such as Winifreid Fluck suggest the “instrumentalization of print culture resulted in a remarkable gain in individual control,” allowing the individual to “select material that comes more closely to [his or] her own imaginary longings and emotional needs” (24). Although Fluck is correct in suggesting that novels gave readers new modes of self-expression, she fails to acknowledge the ways in which readers may become susceptible to the limitations of mass literacy, which reduces if not homogenizes narratives to suit the demands of popular culture. The Victorian reader, removed from the public sphere, became responsive to fictional renderings by challenging their representation of the world in actuality. In moments of contemplation, Victorian readers considered the fictional realities of industrial novels that reflected contemporary social conditions, but by indulging in silent reading, Victorian readers secured privacy, insulated themselves from accountability, and fragmented cultural memory into disparate, competing narratives. Conceptions of Victorian readership emphasized the ways in which serial publication forced novelists to anticipate and to accommodate the demands of a responsive audience. Rather than continuously revising plots and characters to satisfy their readership, novelists engendered radical characters as a means for confronting social issues and for questioning their readers’ commitment to reform. Radical characters such as Shirley Keeldar and Felix Holt enable the novelists to appeal to their audience while also stimulating critique and advocating a transformation from a homogeneous readership to a heterogeneous readership, a readership better suited for questioning the effects of industrialization.
Industrial novels are not, of course, pure representations of Victorian reality. However, many working-class Victorians