Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series reflects a growing awareness of a unique historical process: the development of English as an international language. The writers whose novels are discussed in these volumes represent an extraordinarily wide range of cultural experience - from Guyana to Nigeria, from Canada to Australia and from Ireland to India. They share a common historical experience - the mixed legacy of the British Empire - and even more important, a common language. Never before have so many speakers from so many different cultures shared a common tongue