The Colonial Rise of the Novel provides the first feminist and anti-imperialist account of the development of the novel. Far from describing the universality of the novel, as emphasised in previous studies, Azim makes clear how the novel as genre silenced and exluded both women and people of colour. In what is both a provocative and important contribution to post-colonial and feminist criticism, Azim examines closely texts by writers such as Aphra Behn and Charlotte Bronte. Her conclusions force a radical rethink of Western literature's most enduring form. A major intervention into a rapidly evolving debate.
