Massie's

As someone who would probably be associated with promoting the sort of novel being described here, I nevertheless have to say I find Alan Massie's evocation of the "self-enclosed novel" mostly incomprehensible:

Saying Something 2010

It seems to me that Massie's historical novel is actually more "closed" than those stuck in the present and stuck with their author's commitment to art.

Confusion and Turbulence 2010

Still, a deficiency of originality is more than balanced by the power of Mr. Massie's narrative.

The Rise Of an Empress Jennifer Siegel 2011

And even some supporters of school choice had questions about how Massie's bill would be put into effect, not to mention its supporters' motives.

Va. African Americans split in battle for school choice 2011

Mr. Massie's treatment of Catherine's many relationships is admirably nuanced, displaying an understanding of the sexual mores of the time and an appreciation for the challenges—emotional and political—faced by a woman alone at the helm of the Russian empire.

The Rise Of an Empress Jennifer Siegel 2011

It seems to me that Massie's historical novel is actually more "closed" than those stuck in the present and stuck with their author's commitment to art.

Historical Fiction 2010

And even some supporters of school choice had questions about how Massie's bill would be put into effect, not to mention its supporters' motives.

Va. African Americans split in battle for school choice 2011

And even some supporters of school choice had questions about how Massie's bill would be put into effect, not to mention its supporters' motives.

Va. African Americans split in battle for school choice 2011

Perhaps my objection is too literal-minded, taking Massie's talk of self-sufficiency and "winds of the world" at face value as descriptions of our perception of certain kinds of novels rather than metaphorically, approximations of the reading experience -- "it's as if this novel wanted to be self-sufficient, turned inward into language" or "it's as if this one is trying to take stock of historical circumstances."

Historical Fiction 2010

There is nothing startlingly new or revelatory in Mr. Massie's book, in approach, sources or interpretation.

The Rise Of an Empress Jennifer Siegel 2011