Edwardian Fiction: An Oxford Companion by Charlotte Mitchell (Editor), David Trotter (Editor)

The Edwardian era saw a remarkable outpouring of fiction, much of which we don't normally think of as Edwardian. There were major works such as Conrad's Lord Jim and Nostromo, Samuel Butler's The Way of All Flesh, and D. H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers. Children's literature saw such marvelous books as Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden and A Little Princess, and there were many popular classics as well, such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles and Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel. Now, in Edwardian Fiction: An Oxford Companion, readers have an illuminating guide to this remarkable but little known period, covering the literary scene in the years from 1900 to the outbreak of the First World War. Here are over a thousand alphabetically arranged entries, including some 800 biographies of major and minor authors. Profiles range from such eminent literary figures as Arnold Bennett, John Galsworthy, Katherine Mansfield, and H.G. Wells, to popular writers such as Marie Corelli, Rider Haggard, and Bram Stoker. The Companion also boasts entries on some 250 works of fiction--complete with plot outlines--including such important works as E. M. Forster's A Room with a View and Howard's End, Henry James's The Golden Bowl, and James Joyce's Dubliners, major children's books such as The Wind in the Willows and Kipling's Just So Stories, and bestselling volumes such as Sax Rohmer's The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu and G.K. Chesterton's The Innocence of Father Brown. The Companion also covers novels from other English-speaking countries, such as L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables (Canada) and Miles Franklin's My Brilliant Career (Australia). Ranging from Henry James's The Ambassadors to Max Beerbohm's Zuleika Dobson, this superb volume captures the books, writers, and preoccupations of a fascinating literary era. It will help readers to reconsider a literary epoch they may have overlooked in the past. Editorial Reviews From Booklist In a brief entry in the Oxford Companion to English Literature [RBB Ja 1 & 15 96], Edwardian is defined as a period of sunlit prosperity and opulent confidence preceding the cataclysm of the Great War. Now, Oxford has spun that evocative description into an entire volume to add to their growing family of companions to literature. This is a survey of fiction in English, published primarily in Great Britain and Ireland, during the years 1900^-1914. It includes thematic entries, such as crime fiction and feminist fiction; author entries on approximately 800 writers; title entries; and periodical entries. Among the authors represented here are many that will be familiar to fans of Masterpiece Theatre: Joseph Conrad, John Galsworthy, Somerville and Ross, and P. G. Wodehouse, to name a few. Arrangement is alphabetical, with cross-references indicated by an asterisk. There is a brief list of resources, a chronology that ties the publication dates of British fiction with other literary and cultural as well as historical events, and an index to pseudonyms and name changes. Librarians will want to know how much overlap there is between this work and the Oxford Companion to English Literature. Though many subjects have entries in both volumes, Oxford has continued its usual laudable practice of completely rewriting the entries for the newer book, instead of presenting old information in a new package. There are longer entries for some authors that appear in both volumes--Frances Hodgson Burnett, Marie Corelli, Elinor Glyn--and a few authors unique to this volume, such as Miles Franklin, author of My Brilliant Career. Also, there are many more entries for individual titles that were mentioned only within author articles in the Oxford CompanionArnold Bennett's Anna of the Five Towns, E. Nesbit's Railway Children, H. G. Wells' Ann Veronica. By expanding author entries and providing additional entries on titles, this volume provides more depth on the writers of the period, especially writers of the third or fourth rank. The editors have chosen not to supply much new analysis on writers such as Henry James and D. H. Lawrence, assuming readers will turn to the Oxford Companion. But the Edwardian volume is still useful for major writers because it sets them in a unique context. Most small public and high-school libraries probably do not need a work this specialized. However, it is highly recommended for larger literature collections Mary Ellen Quinn Review Edwardian Fiction is sound on the different kinds of novel that were being written between 1900 and 1914, and the ways in which they were published.' Jeremy Lewis, The Observer a luxuriant and often exotic flowering of fiction both literary and popular ... this is a lost generation: it's time they were recovered ... This clear, readable companion will be a handy guide for those who feel tempted to try.' Michael Kerrigan, The Scotsman a useful survey of famous and forgotten novelists from a particularly productive period in British writing ... an ideal crib for lazy students of all ages' Peter Burton, Gay Times excellent new Oxford Companion ... The great charm of this book is in its account of these lesser figures, rather than household names. ... We learn odd facts about the better known authors as well.' Spectator, 26 July 1997 excellent new Oxford Companion ... The great charm of this book is in its account of these lesser figures, rather than household names. We learn odd facts about the better known authors as well.' Spectator, 26 July 1997 the primary service they provide is appreciation of the sheer variety of the fiction published in this period ... The Companion covers an enormous field ... a tremendous achievement ... It resuscitates hundreds of authors and drives fresh pathways through the field.' Times Literary Supplement this will be an exceptionally useful reference work ... The strengths of the book are many. The essays on publishers and literary agents are particularly illuminating. One could ... consult this book for a variety of reasons ... or simply to enjoy a wonderful browse ... Whatever the purpose, the reader will I think be richly rewarded by this well-researched, well-written, and well-edited book.' Alan Holden, Housman Society Journal Vol. 23 Review Edwardian Fiction is sound on the different kinds of novel that were being written between 1900 and 1914, and the ways in which they were published.' Jeremy Lewis, The Observer a luxuriant and often exotic flowering of fiction both literary and popular ... this is a lost generation: it's time they were recovered ... This clear, readable companion will be a handy guide for those who feel tempted to try.' Michael Kerrigan, The Scotsman a useful survey of famous and forgotten novelists from a particularly productive period in British writing ... an ideal crib for lazy students of all ages' Peter Burton, Gay Times excellent new Oxford Companion ... The great charm of this book is in its account of these lesser figures, rather than household names. ... We learn odd facts about the better known authors as well.' Spectator, 26 July 1997 excellent new Oxford Companion ... The great charm of this book is in its account of these lesser figures, rather than household names. We learn odd facts about the better known authors as well.' Spectator, 26 July 1997 the primary service they provide is appreciation of the sheer variety of the fiction published in this period ... The Companion covers an enormous field ... a tremendous achievement ... It resuscitates hundreds of authors and drives fresh pathways through the field.' Times Literary Supplement this will be an exceptionally useful reference work ... The strengths of the book are many. The essays on publishers and literary agents are particularly illuminating. One could ... consult this book for a variety of reasons ... or simply to enjoy a wonderful browse ... Whatever the purpose, the reader will I think be richly rewarded by this well-researched, well-written, and well-edited book.' Alan Holden, Housman Society Journal Vol. 23 About the Author About the Editors: Sandra Kemp is Quentin Hogg Research Fellow at the University of Westminster. Charlotte Mitchell is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University College, London. David Trotter is Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College, London.