Description
Book Synopsis The 19th century has become especially relevant for the present--as one can see from, for example, large-scale adaptations of written works, as well as the explosion of commodities and even interactive theme parks. This book is an introduction to the novelistic refashionings that have come after the Victorian age with a special focus on revisions of Charlotte Bronte''s Jane Eyre and Charles Dickens''s Great Expectations. As post-Victorian research is still in the making, the first part is devoted to clarifying terminology and interpretive contexts.
Two major frameworks for reading post-Victorian fiction are developed: the literary scene (authors, readers, critics) and the national-identity, political and social aspects. Among the works examined are Caryl Phillips''s Cambridge, Matthew Kneale''s English Passengers, Peter Carey''s Oscar and Lucinda and Jack Maggs, Lloyd Jones''s Mister Pip, Jean Rhys''s Wide Sargasso Sea<
Trade Review
"Rewriting the Victorians is a valuable contribution to the study of post-Victorian fiction... This informative and thought-provoking introduction of the general context and main concerns of the rewritings is enriched by insightful and detailed close analyses of post-Victorian novels. Therefore, Kirchknopf’s study... is an appropriate and valuable resource for those new to this area of research, as well as for scholars already involved in the study of literary engagement with the Victorian past." - Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies, Volume 20, No. 2, 2014
