The 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.