The Anagonist

This issue of Novel proposes a new type of novelistic hero: the “anagonist.” Unlike the protagonist, the anagonist generally does not act; and if she does, her action is inconsequential to the work. The concept itself, however, is problematic, for the figure of the anagonist is averse to typology; its decisive identification in any particular work is almost impossible. More than a contribution to narrative categories, therefore, the appearance of the anagonist as a critical term represents a reconceptualization and rethinking of the nature and role of action in the novel form.

Contributors: Timothy Bewes, Maria Christou, Benjamin R. Davies, Joel Evans, Alison Glassie, Janina Levin, Benjamin Lewis Robinson, Abby Scribner, Kate Wilkinson