1st Edition

English Fiction of the Romantic Period 1789-1830

By Gary Kelly Copyright 1989
    342 Pages
    by Routledge

    344 Pages
    by Routledge

    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.

    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

    Biography

    Gary Kelly