Dickens to Hardy 1837-1884: The Novel, the Past and Cultural Memory in the Nineteenth Century (Transitions, 56) - Hardcover

Wolfreys, Julian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0333696220 ISBN 13: 9780333696224

Publisher: Red Globe Press, 2007

Synopsis

This authoritative survey examines how the Victorian middle-classes perceived themselves, through analyses of the literature of the period. Asking how the middle classes distinguished themselves from their forbears, Julian Wolfreys reads in detail major novels by:
- Charles Dickens
- Elizabeth Gaskell
- Wilkie Collins
- George Eliot
- Thomas Hardy.

Wolfreys explores the novelists' constructions of modernity, national identity and their understanding of 'becoming historical' in distinction from that of previous generations. He offers illuminating close readings of texts and examines narratives set in a recent past in order to investigate the role of cultural memory in the making of identity. Also featuring a helpful Chronology and an Annotated Bibliography to aid further study, this stimulating guide encourages readers to reassess the work of key writers of the nineteenth century.

About this title

About the Author:

JULIAN WOLFREYS is Senior Lecturer in the Department of English and Drama at Loughborough University, UK. He was previously Professor in Literature at the University of Florida, USA.

Review:

'By far the most engaging and persuasive account of Victorian fiction I have read. Dickens to Hardy 1837-1884 is packed with extraordinarily dexterous and astute readings, lively interventions in contemporary critical debates, and brilliant insights into how we should conceptualise the Victorian novel.' - John Brannigan, University College Dublin, Republic of Ireland

About this edition

• Publisher: Red Globe Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0333696220
• ISBN 13: 9780333696224
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304