ENGL 364G/IGS 539G 19th Century Studies

First published in 1988, this encyclopedia serves as an overview and point of entry to the complex interdisciplinary field of Victorian studies. The signed articles, which cover persons, events, institutions, topics, groups and artefacts in Great Britain between 1837 and 1901, have been written by authorities in the field and contain bibliographies to provide guidelines for further research. The work is intended for undergraduates and the general reader, and also as a starting point for graduates who wish to explore new fields.

Incorporating a broad range of contemporary scholarship, A History of Victorian Literature presents an overview of the literature produced in Great Britain between 1830 and 1900, with fresh consideration of both major figures and some of the era's less familiar authors. Part of the Blackwell Histories of Literature series, the book describes the development of the Victorian literary movement and places it within its cultural, social and political context. A wide-ranging narrative overview of literature in Great Britain between 1830 and 1900, capturing the extraordinary variety of literary output produced during this era Analyzes the development of all literary forms during this period - the novel, poetry, drama, autobiography and critical prose - in conjunction with major developments in social and intellectual history Considers the ways in which writers engaged with new forms of social responsibility in their work, as Britain transformed into the world's first industrial economy Offers a fresh perspective on the work of both major figures and some of the era's less familiar authors Winner of a Choice Outstanding Academic Title award, 2009

Literary fashions come and go, but some hang around longer than others, like Gothic literature which has existed ever since The Castle of Otranto in 1764. During this long while, it has spread from England, to the rest of Great Britain, and across to the continent, and off to America and Australia, filling in the gaps more recently. Most of it is in English, but hardly all, and it has adopted all styles, from romanticism, to modernism, to postmodernism and even adjusted to feminist and queer literature, and science fiction. We have all, read some Gothic tales or if not read then seen them in the cinema, since they adapt well to film treatment, and it would be hard to find anyone who has not heard of ghosts and vampires, let alone Count Dracula and Frankenstein. On the other hand, some of us are inveterate Gothic fans, reading one book or story after the other. The Historical Dictionary of Gothic Literature follows this long and winding path, first in an extensive chronology and then a useful introduction which explains the nature of Gothic and shows how it has evolved. Obviously, the dictionary section has entries on major writers, and some of the best-known works, but also on geographical variants like Irish, Scottish or Russian Gothic and Female Gothic, Queer Gothic and Science Fiction. This is provided in over 200 often substantial and always intriguing entries. More can be found in a detailed bibliography, including general works but also more specialized ones on different styles and genres, and also specific authors. This book should certainly interest the fans but also more serious researchers.

Since the late twentieth century, there has been a strategic campaign to recover the impact of Victorian women writers in the field of English literature. However, with the increased understanding of the importance of interdisciplinarity in the twenty-first century, there is a need to extend this campaign beyond literary studies in order to recognise the role of women writers across the nineteenth century, a time that was intrinsically interdisciplinary in approach to scholarly writing and public intellectual engagement. 

The thoroughly expanded and updated New Companion to the Gothic, provides a series of stimulating insights into Gothic writing, its history and genealogy. The addition of 12 new essays and a section on 'Global Gothic' reflects the direction Gothic criticism has taken over the last decade. Many of the original essays have been revised to reflect current debates Offers comprehensive coverage of criticism of the Gothic and of the various theoretical approaches it has inspired and spawned Features important and original essays by leading scholars in the field The editor is widely recognized as the founder of modern criticism of the Gothic

The 30 entries in this DLB volume give ample evidence of the popularity of the Victorian novel, paralleling the emergence of a new readership (mostly women and the growing middle class), a new form of reading, and a recognition of the social value of fiction. The onset of public education in Britain during this period placed a premium on the value of literacy in an industrial/commercial society. Also, by the mid-19th century the novel had become critically respectable, and its subject matter dealt increasingly and more realistically with serious political and social issues. For these reasons, by the latter part of the 19th century the novel had become the most popular and potent literary genre of the day. 30 entries include: Anne Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, CharlesDickens, Benjamin Disraeli, George Eliot, Charles Kingsley, Marmion Savage and William Makepeace Thackeray.

Biocritical essays on 33 late Victorian novelists illuminate a distinct period in British literary history, which witnessed the birth of the detective novel by Wilkie Collins and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creation of some of the worlds favorite childrens literature, including Alice in Wonderland, and the fourishing of aestheticism in prose.Themes prevalent in the strongest works of the late Victorian period were the confrontation with spiritual crisis, the problems of the independent woman, the conflict between sexual frankness and the values of the new age, and the dualities of self. The volumes appendix includes essays by Oscar Wilde, Thomas Hardy and Henry James, among others, reflecting on the state of English fiction of the time.

Thirty leading Victorianists from around the world collaborate here in a multidimensional analysis of the breadth and sweep of modern Britain's longest, unruliest literary epoch.