<span><span><span>Through an examination of a representative body of non-fiction prose from the French Revolution debate and a variety of subgenres of the novel from the 1790-1814 period, this study traces the development of the discursive phenomenon it describes as “the struggle for history’s authority” and the consequences thereof for the British novel. In particular, it provides a framework for understanding the novel’s evolving relationship with history (as event, as historiography) in the period.</span></span><br /><span><span> </span></span></span>