Ancestry and Narrative in Nineteenth-Century British Literature: Blood Relations from Edgeworth to Hardy (Cambridge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture) [Hardcover]

Sophie Gilmartin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cambridge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture | Publication Date: February 28, 1999

This study addresses the question of why ideas of ancestry and kinship were so important in nineteenth-century society, and particularly in the Victorian novel. Sophie Gilmartin discusses what makes people believe that they are part of a certain region, race or nation, and what part is played by superstitious belief, invented traditions and fictions. Gilmartin's study shows that ideas of ancestry and kinship, and the narratives inspired by or invented around them, were of profound significance in the construction of Victorian identity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...Gilmartin provides interesting readings of a number of novels often passed over in the study of Victorian fiction, and she heightens the reader's awareness of a subject that was important to the Victorians and should be given due consideration by those who would understand the age's fiction." Choice

Book Description

This study addresses the question of why ideas of ancestry and kinship were so important in nineteenth-century society, and particularly in the Victorian novel. Sophie Gilmartin discusses what makes people believe that they are part of a certain region, race or nation, and what part is played by superstitious belief, invented traditions and fictions. Gilmartin's study shows that ideas of ancestry and kinship, and the narratives inspired by or invented around them, were of profound significance in the construction of Victorian identity.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 298 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (February 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521560942
• ISBN-13: 978-0521560948
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,859,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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