A witty and eclectic tour of some of the more arcane byways of literature. Illustrated throughout. How much heavier was Thackeray’s brain than Walt Whitman’s? Which novels do American soldiers read? When did cigarettes start making an appearance in English literature? In Curiosities of Literature, John Sutherland contemplates the full import of questions such as these, and attempts a few answers in a series of essays that are both witty and eclectic. An account of the fast-working Mickey Spillane, for example, leads to a consideration of the substances, both legal and illegal, that authors have employed to boost their creative energies. An essay on good and bad handwriting points out in passing that Thackeray could write the Lord’s Prayer on the back of a stamp. As for Mary Shelley, a brief recital of the circumstances in which she wrote Frankenstein stops off to consider what impact the miserable summer weather of 1816 had on the future path of English literature. It’s debatable, of course, whether knowledge of these arcane topics adds to the wisdom of nations. It does highlight the random pleasures in reading literature and reading about it. As John Sutherland rightly asks, “Why else read?” From the Hardcover edition.

Curiosities of Literature: A Book-lover's Anthology of Literary Erudition

john-sutherland

Reference

Arrow

The proportion of Victorian novels in print today represents only a tiny fraction of what was published by Victorian writers. Sutherland (modern English literature, University College, London) describes the cultural, social and commercial factors influencing the production of Victorian fiction, from the Dickenses and Eliots to the many popular authors of the era whose fame has not endured. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Victorian Fiction: Writers, Publishers, Readers

Literature & Fiction

British & Irish

PALGRAVE~MACMILLAN

This topical, lively and wide-ranging book examines the material conditions under which the contemporary English novel is produced and consumed. Its starting point is the general economic emergency which showed up these conditions with unusual clarity in the early 1970s. The first section of the book, 'Crisis and Change', considers the changing patterns of institutional book-purchase, inflation and novel-production, the 'Americanisation' of the British book trade, and the present state of fiction reviewing. The second section, 'State Remedies', surveys such interventions, and failed interventions, as Public Lending Right, Arts Council patronage, and university support for creative writers. The third section, 'Trends, Mainly American', selects specific areas (paperback publishing, self-publishing, book-clubs, television work) which offer pointers to significant future developments in British literary culture. Fiction and the Fiction Industry pays close attention to actual novels, combining literary criticism with its examination of the book trade.

Fiction and the Fiction Industry

The Athlone Press

Physical description; viii, 261 p. : ill., ports ; 23 cm. Summary; John Sutherland recalls the effect 'The Outsider' had upon him in a chapter entitled 'Rebels without wheels' (p. 148-152). Subjects; Sutherland, John (1938-) - Childhood and youth. Wilson, Colin (1931-2013). - Outsider. Sutherland, John (1938-) - Books and reading. Authors, English - 20th century - Biography. College teachers - England - Biography. Literature teachers - England - Biography. Critics - England - Biography. Biography & autobiography: literary. Biography & Autobiography / General.

The Boy Who Loved Books: A Memoir

Biographies & Memoirs

John Murray

The Boy Who Loved Books

John Murray Publishers, Ltd.

From the novel of the best selling Is Heathcliff a murderer? an ingenious book of puzzles in 20th century fiction.  The novel is today stronger than it ever was. 'Classics', boosed by a hugely successful string of TV and film adaptations, now  enjoy a mass readership. The aim of this book is to offer sophisticated and readable literary criticism which will sell as well as good fiction and good biography. The book will deal with canonical and popular 20th century literature from Virginia Woolf to  J.G.Ballard. Pursuing puzzles, conundrums and anomalies in our favourite fiction and most revered narratives, from high literature to pulp fiction, Sutherland offers an extremely refreshing way of looking at novels which gets 1 closer to the magical ways in  which fiction works.

Where Was Rebecca Shot. Curiosities, Puzzles, and Conundrums in Modern Fiction

World Literature

Phoenix_Press

Bestsellers (Routledge Revivals)

Taylor&Francis

The Siege

Orion Publishing Co

The Fallen: A heart-pounding London police thriller for 2024 for crime and thriller fans

Genre Fiction

orion#

The Castle: The heart-racing new thriller with an incredible ending from Sunday Times bestseller John Sutherland

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