Victorian Literature

The York Notes Companion to Victorian Literature explores the drama, poetry and prose of an age of great innovation, than engaged with debates about empire, science and evolution, print culture, and gender. Examining classic texts such as Gaskell’s North and South and Tennyson’s In Memoriam, alongside lesser known works from the genre of sensation fiction and the fin de siècle, the Companion explores examples from a range of genres in detailed commentaries, and guides students through key literary theories and debates. Connecting texts with their historical and scholarly contexts, this is essential reading for any student of Victorian literature. Each York Notes Companion provides: Analysis of key texts and debates Extended commentaries for further in-depth analysis of individual texts Exploration of historical, social and cultural contexts Annotations clarifying literary terms and events in history Modern theoretical perspectives in practice Timelines and annotated further reading Beth Palmer is a Teaching Fellow in Victorian Literature at the University of Leeds. An accessible and wide-ranging introduction to the era, this companion explores influential dramatic works by Ibsen, Shaw and Wilde; the poetry of mourning; novelistic genres, including social problem novels and sensation fiction; and the literature of the fin de siècle’s aesthetes and decadents. Cultural and historical debates – focussing on empire, national identity, science and evolution, print culture and gender – supply essential context alongside discussion of relevant critical theory.