Having reviewed a number of sometimes very different volumes in this series, the only discrepancy I find between individual titles is the extent to which I would (or would not) recommend them to more general readers. My conclusion, with some regret given the interest in the basic subject and the potential of some very interesting seeming contributions, is that this volume more than many others is one for the academics.
That should not be a criticism: the introduction (and the overall nature of the series) makes it clear that the intended audience is an academic one. This work is very much scholars talking to scholars, with undergraduates listening in, while the mythical or ubiquitous (depending on your outlook) general reader may also listen in if they are so inclined. The eighteenth century is thoroughly and expertly analysed and discussed, but within twenty‐first century scholarly outlooks. It is arranged in three main sections: Formative Influences, The World of the Eighteenth‐Century Novel, and The Novel's Modern Legacy. Each of these is then structured around themes such as globalization, nationhood, technology, commerce, science and lifestyles. There are some very interesting topics addressed here as a result: catching this reviewer's attention are Elizabeth Bohls on travel writing and the eighteenth‐century novel, Toni Bowers on British seduction stories 1660‐1800, and Christopher Flint on the eighteenth‐century novel and print culture. Carol Houlihan Flynn presents an interesting essay under the intriguing title of “Whatever happened to the Gordon Riots?” James Grantham Turner gives and academic interpretation of “The Erotics of the Novel” and the following essay, by Elizabeth Maddock Dillon, discusses “The Original American Novel”, or, “The American Origin of the Novel”. And there is much more besides within the 23 chapters.
There have been radical changes in the critical and scholarly approach to this subject over the last ten years. Those changes are as much the subject of this book as is the eighteenth‐century novel itself, whether they are explicitly or implicitly addressed. For students and scholars in this field, whether established or newcomers, this will prove the usual invaluable and wide‐ranging survey of a perennially interesting subject, with roots in preceding eras and influencing contemporary culture (whether written fiction of film and television drama) still. It is a very academic work, rooted in and analysing the current trends in scholarly approach to its subject. It also has a strong North American flavour with only two of 24 contributors based in the UK. As such, the general reader (or viewer and enjoyer of dramatisations of eighteenth century novels) will find it, while by no means devoid of interest, less accessible.
