Honors Director-

"Politics in a work of literature is like a pistol-shot in the middle of a concert, something loud and vulgar, and yet a thing to which it is not possible to refuse one's attention " (Howe, 1957, p. 15). This remark by Stendhal, found in a series of essays compiled by political scientist Irving Howe, alludes to the significance of the novel in politics. This description, however, does not provide a clear definition of what constitutes political fiction. To clarify the significance of political fiction, Stendhal suggests that political literature is a story portrayed against a political background or setting and is one in which political ideology carries the story line. He further enriches his definition by adding that the political novel is "the kind in which the idea of society, as distinct from the mere unquestioned workings of society, has penetrated the consciousness of the characters in all of its profoundly problematic aspects, so that there is to be observed in their behavior, and that they are themselves often aware of, some coherent political loyalty or ideological identification " (Howe, 1957, p. 19). A political novel must evoke in the reader an emotional instinct for striving for the betterment of society and may offer the groundwork for the achievement of the proposed ideal. Furthermore, political fiction attempts to educate and inform its audiences of political theories, ideologies and systems presenting this information in a