Lewes was one of the most versatile men of letters in the Victorian era. A prominent English journalist, he was the founder, with Leigh Hunt, of The Leader, a radical political journal that he edited ...
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In the following excerpt, Seaton discusses some common characteristics of colonial American historical novels, asserting that they were especially popular among middle-class Americans and that they pr...
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In the following excerpt, Williams briefly discusses the handling of time period and the role of historical accuracy in several Realist novels.
The Realist pays close attention to the physical and ...
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Lukdcs, a Hungarian literary critic and philosopher, is acknowledged as a leading proponent of Marxist thought. His development of Marxist ideology was part of a broader system of thought in which he ...
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In the following excerpt, Read discusses the trend toward greater realism in the late-nineteenth-century Mexican historical novels of several authors.
In the late [eighteen] fifties there began a s...
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An American critic, playwright, and novelist, Matthews wrote extensively on world drama and served for a quarter century at Columbia University as professor of dramatic literature; he was the first to...
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In the excerpt that follows, Sheppard discusses the sources and ideas that inspired such historical novels as Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, Sir Walter Scott's Woodstock, and Ge...
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In the excerpt that follows, Shaw argues that a "negative, minimal definition of historical fiction" is necessary in order to accommodate the variety of interpretations regarding the rol...
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In the following essay, Turner identifies three categories of historical fiction—documented, invented, and disguised historical novels—and discusses the boundaries between history and fi...
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In the following excerpt, Marriott presents an overview of nineteenth-century historical fiction, noting that its authors were concerned with portraying the Victorian way of life and discussing the so...
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In the following excerpt, Simmons analyzes the changing role of historical accuracy in the Victorian historical novel.
The Romancers and Historic Truth:the Question of Responsibility
As many Victor...
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In this excerpt, Sanders examines the impact of Sir Walter Scott's work on later historical novelists, discussing in detail the advances made within the genre by such writers as Charles Reade a...
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In the excerpt that follows, Leisy describes a number of historical novels written about the American colonies, maintaining that a majority of them focus on themes such as Puritanism, conflicts with N...
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We treasure and enjoy some novelists because they offer us a world, and let us feel we can enter it like original inhabitants. It’s a going home, even if we’ve never been there before. ...
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We treasure and enjoy some novelists because they offer us a world, and let us feel we can enter it like original inhabitants. It’s a going home, even if we’ve never been there before. ...
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Oprah Winfrey went for the big time Wednesday with her latest book club pick, choosing Ken Follett's 973-page "The Pillars of the Earth," an announcement that will likely mean hundreds of thousands...
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Javanese novelist and short-story writer (b. Feb. 20, 1925, Blora, Java, Dutch East Indies [now in
Indonesia
]—d. April 30, 2006,
Jakarta, Indon.
), was the preeminent prose writer of posti...
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Author Robert Jordan, whose "Wheel of Time" series of fantasy novels sold millions of copies, died Sunday of a rare blood disease. He was 58.Jordan, whose real name was James Oliver Rigney Jr., was...
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Author Robert Jordan, whose "Wheel of Time" series of fantasy novels sold millions of copies, died of a rare blood disease. He was 58.Jordan, whose real name was James Oliver Rigney Jr., died Sunda...
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"Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters" (The Penguin Press. 608 pages. $37.95), edited by Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower and Charles Foley: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was famously convinced that the ...
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A popular romance novelist who's been criticized for allegedly lifting material has angered the biggest name in the genre: Nora Roberts.A romance novel Web site, http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks....
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Coram Boy, the play with music that comes to us via acclaim at London’s National Theatre, is a wonderful, near-mad folly on Broadway.
Let me say at the outset that, unlike many of my miserabl...
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Nostalgia ain't what it used to be. In these frenzied, media-saturated times, the lure of a simpler past is more powerful than ever. That may explain the success of "The Dangerous Book for Boys," a...
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