English Fiction and the Evolution of Language, 1850-1914

ISBN-13: 9781107498488 / Angielski / Miękka / 2017 / 248 str.

Will Abberley

Opis

Explores how Victorian fiction and science imagined the evolution of language, from primordial noise to modern English.

Recenzje

'Abberley's book is a slim one (four chapters and 175 pages of text), but it is unusually wide-ranging and comprehensive, citing an astonishing number of novels and stories, and drawing together material from both familiar and obscure sources. Abberley packs a great deal into every paragraph: his readings are rich and condensed, and on every page he demonstrates the value of the twenty-first-century critic's awareness of the language concerns of the Victorian and Edwardian periods. This is a book to be absorbed and used.' Donald S. Hair, Victorian Studies

Spis treści

Introduction: language under a microscope; 1. The future of language in prophetic fiction; 2. Primitive language in imperial, prehistoric and scientific romances; 3. Organic orality and the historical romance; 4. Instinctive signs: nature and culture in dialogue; Conclusion: widening the lens; Bibliography.