![]() The ensuing Modernist focus on individual psychology can be observed in several of Byatt's earlier novels, which are, unlike The Children's Book, set in later parts of the twentieth century. Only after the caesura of World War I, which the characters in The Children's Book experience at first hand and which marks the end of the novel, did a different depiction of literary psychology set in, heralding the literary period of Modernism. 1 That the plot has gained the upper hand can be explained as a phenomenon of literary history, which Byatt re-enacts in her novel: The Children's Book is set at the end of the Victorian era – a time when literary writing was still to a large degree characterized by an epic mode. Forster's words: in this case there is a winning ‘battle that the plot fights with the characters’. ![]() Such a multiplicity of topics, however, results in the characters' lack of depth. This wide scope enables Byatt, who is renowned for her breadth of knowledge and interests, to link many contemporary tendencies to individual characters. ![]() ![]() ![]() The diversity of the cast, with at least 25 prominent characters, pays tribute to the Victorian narrative technique of portraying a social panorama. The Children's Book recounts the years from 1895 to 1919, illustrating the latter part of the Victorian Age, the Edwardian period and World War I through the fates of a large set of characters. ![]()
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