Routledge Concise History of Nineteenth-Century Literature

Nineteenth-century Britain saw the rise of secularism, the development of a modern capitalist economy, multi-party democracy, and an explosive growth in technological, scientific and medical knowledge. It also witnessed the emergence of a mass literary culture which changed permanently the relationships between writers, readers and publishers.Focusing on the work of British and Irish authors, The Routledge Concise History of Nineteenth-Century Literature:considers changes in literary forms, styles and genres, as well as in critical discoursesexamines literary movements such as Romanticism, Pre-Raphaelitism, Aestheticism and Decadenceconsiders the work of a wide range of canonical and non-canonical writersdiscusses the impact of gender studies, queer theory, postcolonialism and book historycontains useful, student-friendly features such as explanatory text boxes, chapter summaries, a detailed glossary and suggestions for further reading.In their lucid and accessible manner, Josephine M. Guy and Ian Small provide readers with an understanding of the complexity and variety of nineteenth-century literary culture, as well as the historical conditions which produced it.

Josephine M. Guy is Professor in Modern English Literature at the School of English Studies, University of Nottingham.Ian Small is Professor of English Literature at the Department of English, University of Birmingham.