An examination of the printed material that was available to the reading public in early 18th-century England. The author explores the origins of the novel and argues that early novelists were motivated by the needs and desires of society at a time of migration, urbanization and social change.

Before novels: The cultural contexts of eighteenth-century English fiction

Literature & Fiction

HUNTER, J. Paul

British & Irish

WW Norton & Co.

ISBN: 0393100286. Publisher: W W Norton; 1st PB edition (1996) [A Norton Anthology Edition] Frankenstein The 1818 Text Mary Shelley Edited by J. Paul Hunter; Foreword by Jack Stillinger. 5.8x9.3x0.3 in. xx+132pp., incl. Bibliog.

Frenkenstein

Children's Books

Science Fiction & Fantasy

W.W. Norton & Co., Inc.

“By taking a close look at materials no previous twentieth-century critic has seriously investigated in literary terms―ephemeral journalism, moralistic tracts, questions-and-answer columns, ‘wonder’ narratives―Paul Hunter discovers a tangled set of roots for the early novel. His provocative argument for a new historicized understanding of the genre and its early readers brilliantly reveals unexpected affinities.” ―Patricia Meyer Spacks, Edgar F. Shannon Professor of English, University of Virginia What did people read before there were novels? Not necessarily just other “literary” works, according to this fascinating study of the beginnings of the English novel. To understand the origins of the novel as a species and to read individual novels well, we must know several pasts and traditions―even non-fictional and non-narrative traditions, even non-“artistic” and non-written pasts―that at first might seem far removed from the pleasures readers find in modern novels.

Before Novels: The Cultural Contexts of Eighteenth-Century English Fiction

History & Criticism

W.W.Norton&Company

A balanced selection of classic and contemporary works by prominent and less-well-known writers. From Joyce, Hemingway, O'Connor, Auden, Stevens, Dickinson, Faulkner, Hawthorne, and Whitman, to Sharon Olds, Nicholson Baker, Carolyn Forché, Paul Ruffin, Salman Rushdie, Agha Shahid Ali, Eamon Grennan, Linda Pastan, Li-Young Lee, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Simon Ortiz, Seamus Heaney, Karen Volkman, and David Ives. "Exploring Contexts" chapters provide a window into the broader literary world by placing the stories, poems, and plays in contextual groups, literary, authorial, cultural, historical, and social, illuminating connections among texts and the influences that shape them. "Critical Context" Casebooks, a new feature, serve as capstone chapters for each genre. Each includes one primary literary work followed by several professional critical responses, allowing students to explore one work in depth and to develop and expand their reading and analytical skills as they prepare to write about what they've read. Two student papers, one, a personal response essay, and the other, a research paper, round out the fiction casebook. Reading, Responding, Writing chapters introduce students to a genre and ways of exploring and writing about it. Understanding the Text chapters within each genre cover the elements of literature, providing students with the tools they need to consider various works. Evaluating chapters strengthen students' critical skills by guiding them in the difficult task of evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of literary works. A Reading More section offers an album of pieces for further reading. New Fiction Chapter: "Cultural and Historical Context" This new chapter focuses on F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited" and discusses the historical events and cultural climate that provided the backdrop for Fitzgerald's fiction. No other anthology offers so deep a contextual analysis.

The Norton Introduction to Literature

Reference

Beaty, Jerome

Bain, Carl E.

Words, Language & Grammar

Of the more than 500 poems, nearly 80 are new to this edition, from the deservedly familiar - such as those by Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Edmund Spenser - to those that rouse the quickening thrill of discovery - such as those by Margaret Atwood, Amy Clampitt, Robert Hayden, and Seamus Heaney.Two introductory chapters illustrate the varieties of subject matter, theme, and tone that poetry offers. These are followed by an eight-chapter section called "Text," in which questions of craft, the so-called elements of poetry, are explored systematically, one by one. A second section, "Context," suggests some ways of seeing a poem within its temporal and cultural contexts. A group of poems for further reading offers a reservoir of additional examples.

The Norton Introduction to Poetry

W. W. Norton & Company; Incorporated

Offering 59 stories, 458 poems, and 15 plays, this anthology provides a wider range of classic and contemporary works than any other three-genre anthology. Three new "Critical Contexts" casebooks introduce readers to examples of professional literary criticism, and editorial commentary throughout encourages readers to read thoughtfully, analytically, and creatively.

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Psychology & Counseling

The Eighth Edition of The Norton Introduction to Poetry, like its predecessors, offers a broad and balanced selection of poems-483 poems total, 101 new to this edition. Drawing deeply from the traditional canon, The Norton Introduction to Poetry also features the best work of emerging and well-known contemporary poets. Now accompanied by a free audio CD and an unparalleled Web site, the Eighth Edition is more accessible, enjoyable, and teachable than ever before.

Offering 59 stories, 458 poems, and 15 plays, this anthology provides a wider range of classic and contemporary works than any other three-genre anthology. Three new "Critical Contexts" casebooks introduce readers to examples of professional literary criticism, and editorial commentary throughout encourages readers to read thoughtfully, analytically, and creatively.

Bain, Carl

Encyclopedias & Subject Guides

W.W.Norton

The Norton Poetry Workshop CD-ROM Packaged with the Norton Introduction to Poetry

R.S. Means Company

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Books by HUNTER, J. Paul

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by HUNTER, J. Paul. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Before novels: The cultural contexts of eighteenth-century English fiction

Frenkenstein

Before Novels: The Cultural Contexts of Eighteenth-Century English Fiction

The Norton Introduction to Literature

The Norton Introduction to Poetry

The Norton Introduction to Literature

The Norton Introduction to Poetry

The Norton Introduction to Literature

The Norton Introduction to Poetry

The Norton Poetry Workshop CD-ROM Packaged with the Norton Introduction to Poetry