Download or read book The Late Medieval Origins of the Modern Novel written by Rachel A. Kent and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-10-07 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dramatically refreshing the age-old debate about the novel's origins and purpose, Kent traces the origin of the modern novel to a late medieval fascination with the wounded, and often eroticized, body of Christ. A wide range of texts help to illustrate this discovery, ranging from medieval 'Pietàs' to Thomas Hardy to contemporary literary theory.