Octavia Randolph uses historical fiction to explore the development, dominance, and decline of Anglo-Saxon culture. The Victorian era, with its breathtaking acceleration of technologies and media intrusion, resonates with and mirrors current anxieties. Her story “The Lamp of Truth” is excerpted from her novel in progress about the eminent art and social critic John Ruskin, a brilliant and ultimately troubled nineteenth-century figure.
WORKS THAT HAVE APPEARED IN NARRATIVE:
- The Lamp of Truth, a novel excerpt, in Spring 2010
- Ride, a short story, in Winter 2008