The Victorian novel / Louis James.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

James, Louis, 1933-

Series:

Blackwell guides to literature

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English fiction--19th century--History and criticism.

English fiction.

Romanticism--Great Britain.

Romanticism.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

xii, 249 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Malden, MA : Blackwell Pub., 2006.

Summary:

This inspiring survey challenges conventional ways of viewing the Victorian novel. The author explores the extremely varied and often experimental prose fiction of the period, paying attention to contemporary bestsellers as well as to major literary works. He reminds the reader that most Victorian novelists had their imaginations shaped not by High Victorianism, but by the ideals of the Romantic period, and suggests that their work therefore embodies a tension between idealism and a new materialist objectivity. The volume is based on the premise that a broad understanding of the Victorian period powerfully assists our understanding of its prose fiction. For this reason, the author not only provides overviews of the historical and social contexts of the Victorian novel, but also considers its relationship to historical, religious and biographical writing. Written in an accessible style without jargon, this study restores a sense of originality to a major body of literature.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [225]-240) and index.

ISBN:

0631226273

0631226281

OCLC:

60311765

Publisher Number:

9780631226277

9780631226284