ABSTRACT
Robert Weimann speaks about a "gap" between "what appropriates and what is appropriated" and argues that it is this gap that makes representation necessary, on the one hand, but, on the other hand, causes a crisis in "representational form," which "can be traced on the writer's communication with his public." The Tragic Muse and Royal Highness involve the reader in ongoing exchanges between spokesmen for different forms of representation, and both novels end without offering final resolutions. The OED corroborates W. J. T. Mitchell's distinction between political and aesthetic representation, as it is dramatized in the novel. The link between representation, interpretation and appropriation is even stronger in the case of Nick Dormer. For instance, Nick's wavering between verbal-political and aesthetic-pictorial representation is caused by his belief that representation should approach "the truth" or "great ideas." His reluctance to being "owned" by her contributed to his giving up the representation of Harsh.
