Is ventriloquism just for dummies? What is at stake in neo-Victorian fiction's desire to 'talk back' to the nineteenth century? This book explores the sexual politics of dialogues between the nineteenth century and contemporary fiction, offering a new insight into the concept of ventriloquism as a textual and metatextual theme in literature.
Introduction: The Victorians for dummies? Talking back to the Nineteenth Century Voices from the Past: Rethinking the Ventriloquial Metaphor Victorian Ventriloquists: Henry James and George Du Maurier Sirens and Svengalis: Nights at the Circus, Alias Grace and Clara Queering the Dummy/ventriloquist Dichotomy: Oscar Wilde and Ventriloquial Influence Sexual Re-scripting: Ventriloquial Repetitions and Transformations in Sarah Waters' Tipping the Velvet and Affinity Talking to Ourselves? Ventriloquial Criticism and Readership in Neo-Victorian Fiction Afterword: Voices beyond the Victorian era? Wesley Stace and Ventriloquism Notes Bibliography Index
