This monograph is focused on the fictional works of Arnold Bennett whose literary role was very important in the history of the late nineteenth and early twentiethcentury novel in light of the debate between modernism and the traditional approach to the craft of fiction. After a long period of critical silence, this book reaffirms Bennett¿s centrality through a sociohistorical and semiotic analysis of his most famous novels and short stories. In this sense, it offers a new reading of Bennett which may be a groundbreaking contribution to the discussion of the function of British fiction in the context of a multifaceted epistemic change.

Francesca D¿Alfonso is an Associate Professor in English Literature at the University of Molise (Italy). Her main fields of research are late Victorian literature and culture and the American novel of the twentieth century, especially with regard to Italian American writers (John Fante, Nino Ricci, etc.). She is a member of CUSVE (Centre for Victorian and Edwardian Studies).

Francesca D'Alfonso - Fiction and realism according to Arnold Bennett- Character formation and narrative ambiguity in
Anna of the Five Towns-
Time and places in
The Old Wives' Tale-
The "Grim Smile" of the Potteries
:
A Reading of "The Silent Brothers" and "The Death of Simon Fuge" -
Accident
: an adventure and its variations