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English Fiction of the Romantic Period 1789-1830 is the first comprehensive historical survey of fiction from that period for many decades. It combines a clear awareness of the period's social history with recent developments in literary criticism, theory and history, and explains the astounding variety of forms in Romantic fiction in terms of the various cultural, political, social, regional and gender conflicts of the time.
It provides a broad-ranging survey from the major authors and works through to the sub-genres of the period. Jan Austin and Sir Alter Scott are discussed alongside the Gothic Romance, political and feminist fiction, social satire and regional, rural and historical novels. It also provides a comparison of the methods of distribution and marketing and the availability of books then and now; examines cheap popular fiction and children's fiction, and considers the recent debate about the place of prose fiction in a Romantic literature hitherto dominated by poetry.
List of contents
Preface 1. Fiction and British Society 1789-1830. 2. The 1790s, From Englightenment and Sensibility to Romanticism- 'Modern Novel' and 'Tales of the Times'. 3. 1800-1814- Beyond 'Tales of the Times'. 4. 'Only a Novel' - Jane Austen. 5. History and Romance - Sir Walter Scott 6. 1815-1830 - Romance, Realism and Satire - The Limites of Romantic Culture. 7. Conclusion - The Limits of Romantic Fiction. Chronology General Bibliographies Individual Authors Index
About the author
Gary Kelly
Summary
A comprehensive historical survey of the period 1789xxx;1830. Will aid the reader in assessing the role of prose fiction in a period hitherto dominated by poetry.
