British Literary Culture and Publishing Practice, 1880-1914

by Peter D. McDonald

Overview

This book is about the radical transformation of British literary culture during the period 1880 to 1914 as seen through the early publishing careers of Joseph Conrad, Arnold Bennett and Arthur Conan Doyle. Peter D. McDonald examines the cultural politics of the period by considering the social structure of the literary world in which these writers worked. By tracing the complex network of relationships among writers, publishers, reviewers and readers, McDonald demonstrates the importance of social history and publishing to questions of critical interpretation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521893947
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/09/2002
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Publishing and Printing History
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	244
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.71(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Men of letters and children of the sea: Joseph Conrad and the Henley circle; 2. Playing the field: Arnold Bennett as novelist, serialist and journalist; 3. Light reading and the dignity of letters: George Newnes, Ltd and the making of Arthur Conan Doyle; Postscript.

Editorial Reviews

"McDonald provides a useful summary of the complexities of Bourdieu' theory of the literary field...." Leslie Howsam, Journal of Scholarly Publishing

"Peter D. McDonald, in this highly original and very important book, has made a real contribution to our understanding of publishing in this period. This is a major book." John Feather, Publishing Research Quarterly

"No one hereafter can study the fin-de-siècle without some reference to the models of analysis McDonald has supplied." Robert L. Patten, Victorian Studies

From the Publisher