"Direct speech stares out at us from the nineteenth-century novel--a defining structural feature of the genre. Yet novel theory has, strangely but quite persistently, turned its eyes away from this sprawling formal terrain. Tara Menon's book, with unapologetic critical directness, looks squarely at the device--allowing the reader, too, to perceive it anew. The effect is to wrest an abiding dimension of prose fiction--seen but too rarely observed--into analytical visibility."-- Alex Woloch, author of The One vs. the Many: Minor Characters and the Space of the Protagonist in the Novel " Speaking Parts is full of unexpected revelations about novels we think we know, written in a style that proves close and distant reading go hand in hand. Menon's game-changing book asks us to count on direct speech--who speaks and how much--as often as other narratological features when we consider how characters, novels, and genres work. I imagine a new wave of narratological interest in direct speech will follow this breakthrough study, especially now, as one model of 'character' is being actively reshaped by how effectively it can chat.

"-- Meredith Martin, author of Poetry's Data: Digital Humanities and the History of Prosody "I have no doubt that the insights and coinages of this work will immediately become part of the critical conversation in studies of the novel. The book demonstrates how computational approaches can yield new insights into the forms of narrative--even into novels with which we think we are familiar. Menon writes clearly, with patience and attention to detail. "--Laura Green, author of Literary Identification: From Charlotte Brontë to Tsitsi Dangarembga "An original contribution to literary scholarship on the nineteenth-century novel, both methodologically and conceptually. Menon employs computational methods from the digital humanities in a rigorous and judicious way, balancing her statistical findings against established readings and critical debates."-- Amanda Anderson, author of Psyche and Ethos: Moral Life after Psychology.