Description
This work traces the form of the Victorian novel, as well as placing it in an historical context. It analyzes the key novelists of the period - including George Eliot, Dickens, the Brontes, Thackeray, Trollape and Hardy - in terms of the social and cultural conditions forming a backdrop to their work, such as the controversial work of Darwin, and the Industrial Revolution. This combination of historical survey and literary critique comes together to create an overview of the Victorian novel. The issues in Victorian fiction discussed include: the question of the individual as historical self; the idea of history; social and collective order; the women question ; gender and culture; and the laws of nature - contrasting with the Romantics' view. This work should be useful background reading for undergraduate students of English literature and Victorian studies.
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