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Reveals surprising new dimensions of John Galt's short novels Glenfell, Andrew of Padua, the Improvisatore and The Omen The three novels collected in this volume reveal the diversity of Galt's creative abilities. Glenfell (1820) is his first publication in the style of Scottish fiction for which he would become best known; Andrew of Padua, the Improvisatore (1820) is a unique synthesis of his experiences with theatre, educational writing, and travel; The Omen (1825) is a haunting gothic tale. With their easily readable scope and their vivid themes, each of the stories has a distinct charm. They cast light on significant phases of Galt's career as a writer and show his versatility in experimenting with themes, genres, and styles. This volume reproduces Galt's original editions, making these virtually unknown works available to modern readers while setting them into the context in which they were first published and read. Full annotations explain Galt's diverse geographical, historical, literary, and philosophical contexts and allusions. A comprehensive introduction reveals the novels' contemporary reception and their significance within Galt's life and career. Angela Esterhammer, FRSC, is Professor of English and Principal of Victoria College in the University of Toronto.
List of contents
Preface to The Works of John Galt; Acknowledgements; Chronology of John Galt; Introduction; The Periodical Novelist or Circulating Library; Advertisement to the Series; Vol.1: Glenfell; or, Macdonalds and Campbells; Preface; Glenfell; Vol.3: Andrew of Padua, the Improvisatore; Biographical Sketch of the Abbate Furbo; Andrew of Padua; The Omen; Emendations; End-of-line Hyphens; Explanatory Notes.
About the author
John Galt was a Scottish novelist, entrepreneur, and political and social commentator.Angela Esterhammer is currently Principal of Victoria College and a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Toronto. She is the author of Romanticism and Improvisation, 1750-1850 (Cambridge University Press, 2008), The Romantic Performative: Language and Action in British and German Romanticism (Stanford University Press, 2000) and Creating States: Studies in the Performative Language of John Milton and William Blake (University of Toronto Press, 1994), the editor of Northrop Frye on Milton and Blake, Volume 16 of the Collected Works of Northrop Frye (University of Toronto Press, 2005) and Romantic Poetry: Comparative History of Literatures in European Languages (John Benjamins, 2002), and the co-editor, with Alexander J. Dick, of Spheres of Action: Speech and Performance in Romantic Culture (University of Toronto Press, 2009). She has also edited a critical edition of Two Stories of Prague, by R. M. Rilke (University Press of New England, 1994).
Summary
This volume brings together three short novels that reveal the diversity of Galt’s creative abilities. They cast light on significant phases of Galt’s career as a writer and reveal his versatility in experimenting with themes, genres and styles.
