A Linguistic Perspective on Christine Brooke-Rose's Novels

In reading any of the experimental novels Christine Brooke-Rose has produced over the years, one is struck by the prominence in these works of issues relating to language and the way language affects the life of human beings. This article analyses the way in which the author addresses various linguistic issues in her novels *Xorandor* (1986) and *Verbivore* (1990). In particular, my article focusses on the way these works represent not only the discourse of the media and the differences between spoken and written language, but also the process of language learning, finally suggesting the linguistic construction of all forms of identity, including gender identity.