Resources.This page is meant to serve as a sort of roadmap for your secondary research of the neo-Victorian genre. Most of the sources found on this page will deal directly with the specific novels discussed on the "Blog" page, but some may deal indirectly with those novels through analysis of genre-based themes, conventions, structures, histories, etc.
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Resource Guide
Possession - A.S. Byatt
Author Bio and a Brief Note on Style: A.S. Byatt comes from a family of intellectuals and, interestingly, novelists. Byatt has also held posts as a lecturer at several colleges, so one can safely assume that Byatt has been observing academia for many years, which makes her novel about scholarly dynamics that much more delightful. Byatt inserts several “Easter eggs” about the academy into the plot, and readers can embark on a sort of hunt for the inside jokes. Further, Byatt approaches the Victorian style of poetry with painstaking care, having written LaMotte and Ash’s poems herself.
Relevant Links:
“A.S. Byatt.” Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/author/show/1169504.A_S_Byatt. Accessed 29 Jan. 2021.
“Full Biography.” A.S. Byatt Author Website, www.asbyatt.com/biography.aspx. Accessed 29 Jan. 2021.
Leith, Sam. “Writing in Terms of Pleasure.” The Guardian, April 2009, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/apr/25/as-byatt-interview. Accessed 29 Jan. 2021.
Author Bio and a Brief Note on Style: A.S. Byatt comes from a family of intellectuals and, interestingly, novelists. Byatt has also held posts as a lecturer at several colleges, so one can safely assume that Byatt has been observing academia for many years, which makes her novel about scholarly dynamics that much more delightful. Byatt inserts several “Easter eggs” about the academy into the plot, and readers can embark on a sort of hunt for the inside jokes. Further, Byatt approaches the Victorian style of poetry with painstaking care, having written LaMotte and Ash’s poems herself.
Relevant Links:
“A.S. Byatt.” Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/author/show/1169504.A_S_Byatt. Accessed 29 Jan. 2021.
“Full Biography.” A.S. Byatt Author Website, www.asbyatt.com/biography.aspx. Accessed 29 Jan. 2021.
Leith, Sam. “Writing in Terms of Pleasure.” The Guardian, April 2009, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/apr/25/as-byatt-interview. Accessed 29 Jan. 2021.
Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood
Author Bio: Margaret Atwood is a writer whose career is genre-defying: she is at once a novelist, essayist, poet, short fiction writer, and consulting television producer. Atwood has held positions at various colleges, with her posts ranging from lecturer to writer-in-residence. Atwood is committed to civil and environmental justice, and her written works often approach these issues from a perspective of following a problem to its logical end, should humans fail to rectify contributing (and often exacerbating) factors.
Relevant Links:
“19th Century Canadian History.” The Canada Guide, https://thecanadaguide.com/history/the-19th-century/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2021.
“Biography.” Margaret Atwood Official Website, http://margaretatwood.ca/biography/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2021.
Katz, Brigit. “The Mysterious Murder Case That Inspired Margaret Atwood’s ‘Alias Grace.’” Smithsonian Magazine, 2017, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/mysterious-murder-case-inspired-margaret-atwoods-alias-grace-180967045/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2021.
Ritchie, Jessica. “Revisiting the Murderess: Representations of Victorian Women’s Violence in Mid-Nineteenth- and Late-Twentieth-Century Fiction.” University of Canterbury, 2006, https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/handle/10092/897. Accessed 12 Feb. 2021.
Author Bio: Margaret Atwood is a writer whose career is genre-defying: she is at once a novelist, essayist, poet, short fiction writer, and consulting television producer. Atwood has held positions at various colleges, with her posts ranging from lecturer to writer-in-residence. Atwood is committed to civil and environmental justice, and her written works often approach these issues from a perspective of following a problem to its logical end, should humans fail to rectify contributing (and often exacerbating) factors.
Relevant Links:
“19th Century Canadian History.” The Canada Guide, https://thecanadaguide.com/history/the-19th-century/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2021.
“Biography.” Margaret Atwood Official Website, http://margaretatwood.ca/biography/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2021.
Katz, Brigit. “The Mysterious Murder Case That Inspired Margaret Atwood’s ‘Alias Grace.’” Smithsonian Magazine, 2017, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/mysterious-murder-case-inspired-margaret-atwoods-alias-grace-180967045/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2021.
Ritchie, Jessica. “Revisiting the Murderess: Representations of Victorian Women’s Violence in Mid-Nineteenth- and Late-Twentieth-Century Fiction.” University of Canterbury, 2006, https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/handle/10092/897. Accessed 12 Feb. 2021.
Arthur & George - Julian Barnes
Author Bio: Julian Barnes has written a number of novels, essays, and short stories, as well as a translated work and, in his early career, reviews and criticism for the New Statesman and the New Review. Although he hails from and lives in England, Barnes is an honorary foreign member of the American Academy of Arts & Letters and was appointed Officier in the French Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur.
Relevant Resources
Berberich, Christine. “England? Whose England? (Re)constructing English Identities in Julian Barnes and W. G. Sebald.” National Identities, vol. 10, no. 2, June 2008, pp. 167-184.
“Biography.” Julian Barnes Official Website, http://www.julianbarnes.com/bio/index.html. Accessed 26 February 2021.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. “The Case of Mr George Edalji.” The New York Times, 1907. Project Gutenberg, edited by Roy Glashan, 2012, http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks12/1202671h.html. Accessed 26 February 2021.
Heydt, Bruce. “Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Case of George Edalji.” British Heritage, 8 December 2020, https://britishheritage.com/history/sir-arthur-conan-doyle-george-edalji. Accessed 26 February 2021.
Mitchell, Kate. History and Cultural Memory in Neo-Victorian Fiction: Victorian Afterimages. London, Palgrave McMillan, 2010.
Author Bio: Julian Barnes has written a number of novels, essays, and short stories, as well as a translated work and, in his early career, reviews and criticism for the New Statesman and the New Review. Although he hails from and lives in England, Barnes is an honorary foreign member of the American Academy of Arts & Letters and was appointed Officier in the French Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur.
Relevant Resources
Berberich, Christine. “England? Whose England? (Re)constructing English Identities in Julian Barnes and W. G. Sebald.” National Identities, vol. 10, no. 2, June 2008, pp. 167-184.
“Biography.” Julian Barnes Official Website, http://www.julianbarnes.com/bio/index.html. Accessed 26 February 2021.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. “The Case of Mr George Edalji.” The New York Times, 1907. Project Gutenberg, edited by Roy Glashan, 2012, http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks12/1202671h.html. Accessed 26 February 2021.
Heydt, Bruce. “Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Case of George Edalji.” British Heritage, 8 December 2020, https://britishheritage.com/history/sir-arthur-conan-doyle-george-edalji. Accessed 26 February 2021.
Mitchell, Kate. History and Cultural Memory in Neo-Victorian Fiction: Victorian Afterimages. London, Palgrave McMillan, 2010.
Poor Things - Alasdair Gray
Author Bio: Alasdair Gray was a Scottish writer and artist. Gray was quite prolific, publishing novels, short stories, volumes of poetry, illustrations, and plays throughout his career. However, Gray was of the mind that the work artists like himself most enjoyed were not for money or praise, but for the liberation that artistic expression provides. Gray was vocal about and committed to the possibilities of a Socialist society, but he remained dubious about all manner of evangelical belief. His mistrust of fanatical, all-consuming ideologies is hilariously evident in Poor Things. Gray died in 2019, and his editor, Francis Bickmore, bid an the author affectionate farewell with the following statement: “No one single figure has left such a varied legacy – or missed so many deadlines – as Alasdair Gray.”
Relevant Links:
“Alasdair Gray, the Beloved Author and Artist, Has Died.” Canongate, 2019, https://canongate.co.uk/news/alasdair-gray-author-and-artist-has-died-aged-85/. Accessed 7 March 2021.
Ibrahim, Lila. “The Deconstruction of (Para)Text in Alasdair Gray’s Poor Things.” John Carroll University, 2015, https://collected.jcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1003&context=mastersessays. Accessed 7 March 2021.
Leishman, David. “True Nations and Half People: Rewriting Nationalism in Alasdair Gray’s Poor Things.” Transnational Literature, vol. 6, no. 1, November 2013, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281983111_True_Nations_and_Half_People_Rewriting_Nationalism_in_Alasdair_Gray's_Poor_Things. Accessed 7 March 2021.
Murray, Joe, and Alasdair Gray. “Alasdair Gray’s Personal Curriculum Vitae.” Alasdair Gray Official Website, 2000, http://joemurray.me.uk/alasdairgray/gray_per_cv.htm. Accessed 7 March 2021.
Stivers, Valerie. “Alasdair Gray, The Art of Fiction No. 232.” The Paris Review, 2016, https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6904/the-art-of-fiction-no-232-alasdair-gray. Accessed 7 March 2021.
“Unseen Alasdair Gray Prints Go on Display in Glasgow.” BBC, February 2020, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-51403785. Accessed 7 March 2021.
Vandenberghe, Fauve. “Women Bite Back: Female-Authored Satire in Eighteenth-Century British Periodicals.” Agents of Change, 2020, https://www.wechanged.ugent.be/blog/women-bite-back-female-authored-satire-in-british-eighteenth-century-periodicals/. Accessed 15 March 2021.
Author Bio: Alasdair Gray was a Scottish writer and artist. Gray was quite prolific, publishing novels, short stories, volumes of poetry, illustrations, and plays throughout his career. However, Gray was of the mind that the work artists like himself most enjoyed were not for money or praise, but for the liberation that artistic expression provides. Gray was vocal about and committed to the possibilities of a Socialist society, but he remained dubious about all manner of evangelical belief. His mistrust of fanatical, all-consuming ideologies is hilariously evident in Poor Things. Gray died in 2019, and his editor, Francis Bickmore, bid an the author affectionate farewell with the following statement: “No one single figure has left such a varied legacy – or missed so many deadlines – as Alasdair Gray.”
Relevant Links:
“Alasdair Gray, the Beloved Author and Artist, Has Died.” Canongate, 2019, https://canongate.co.uk/news/alasdair-gray-author-and-artist-has-died-aged-85/. Accessed 7 March 2021.
Ibrahim, Lila. “The Deconstruction of (Para)Text in Alasdair Gray’s Poor Things.” John Carroll University, 2015, https://collected.jcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1003&context=mastersessays. Accessed 7 March 2021.
Leishman, David. “True Nations and Half People: Rewriting Nationalism in Alasdair Gray’s Poor Things.” Transnational Literature, vol. 6, no. 1, November 2013, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281983111_True_Nations_and_Half_People_Rewriting_Nationalism_in_Alasdair_Gray's_Poor_Things. Accessed 7 March 2021.
Murray, Joe, and Alasdair Gray. “Alasdair Gray’s Personal Curriculum Vitae.” Alasdair Gray Official Website, 2000, http://joemurray.me.uk/alasdairgray/gray_per_cv.htm. Accessed 7 March 2021.
Stivers, Valerie. “Alasdair Gray, The Art of Fiction No. 232.” The Paris Review, 2016, https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6904/the-art-of-fiction-no-232-alasdair-gray. Accessed 7 March 2021.
“Unseen Alasdair Gray Prints Go on Display in Glasgow.” BBC, February 2020, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-51403785. Accessed 7 March 2021.
Vandenberghe, Fauve. “Women Bite Back: Female-Authored Satire in Eighteenth-Century British Periodicals.” Agents of Change, 2020, https://www.wechanged.ugent.be/blog/women-bite-back-female-authored-satire-in-british-eighteenth-century-periodicals/. Accessed 15 March 2021.
The Crimson Petal and the White - Michel Faber
Author Bio: Michel Faber is a Dutch-born writer who has published over a dozen works of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, journalism, and, most recently, a young adult novel. Prior to publishing his first work, Faber was a trained and practicing nurse through the 1980s and 90s. For more than twenty years, Faber worked closely with his wife, Eva, in an editorial capacity to complete his works, and he often cites her as a fundamental element of his writerly capabilities.
Relevant Links:
Gelblum, Ben. “Revealing Guide to Victorian London’s Secret Brothels and Prostitutes Unearthed.” The London Economic, 5 November 2018, https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/entertainment/revealing-guide-to-victorian-londons-secret-brothels-and-prostitutes-unearthed-107489/. Accessed 20 April 2021.
Jordan, Justine. “Michel Faber: 'I Would Have Been a Different Writer Without My Wife.'” The Guardian, 8 July 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jul/08/books-interview-michel-faber-undying-a-love-story-under-the-skin. Accessed 20 April 2021.
“Michel Faber.” Goodreads, 2021, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16272.Michel_Faber. Accessed 20 April 2021.
“Michel Faber.” Wikipedia, 27 November 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Faber#Work. Accessed 20 April 2021.
Simon, Scott. “In Michel Faber's Latest, The Disappearance (Isappearance?) Of The Letter 'D'.” NPR, 5 December 2020, https://www.npr.org/2020/12/05/942410632/in-michel-fabers-latest-the-disappearance-isappearance-of-the-letter-d. Accessed 20 April 2021.
“Victorian Prostitution.” British Literature Wiki, https://sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/victorian-prostitution/. Accessed 20 April 2021.
Walkowitz, Judith R. “Review: Notes on the History of Victorian Prostitution.” Feminist Studies, vol. 1, no. 1, 1972, pp. 105–114.
Relevant Links:
Gelblum, Ben. “Revealing Guide to Victorian London’s Secret Brothels and Prostitutes Unearthed.” The London Economic, 5 November 2018, https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/entertainment/revealing-guide-to-victorian-londons-secret-brothels-and-prostitutes-unearthed-107489/. Accessed 20 April 2021.
Jordan, Justine. “Michel Faber: 'I Would Have Been a Different Writer Without My Wife.'” The Guardian, 8 July 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jul/08/books-interview-michel-faber-undying-a-love-story-under-the-skin. Accessed 20 April 2021.
“Michel Faber.” Goodreads, 2021, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16272.Michel_Faber. Accessed 20 April 2021.
“Michel Faber.” Wikipedia, 27 November 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Faber#Work. Accessed 20 April 2021.
Simon, Scott. “In Michel Faber's Latest, The Disappearance (Isappearance?) Of The Letter 'D'.” NPR, 5 December 2020, https://www.npr.org/2020/12/05/942410632/in-michel-fabers-latest-the-disappearance-isappearance-of-the-letter-d. Accessed 20 April 2021.
“Victorian Prostitution.” British Literature Wiki, https://sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/victorian-prostitution/. Accessed 20 April 2021.
Walkowitz, Judith R. “Review: Notes on the History of Victorian Prostitution.” Feminist Studies, vol. 1, no. 1, 1972, pp. 105–114.