Cambridge University Press Romanticism, History, and the Possibilities of Genre: Re-forming Literature 1789–1837

Romanticism has often been associated with the mode of lyric, or otherwise confined within mainstream genres. As a result, we have neglected the sheer diversity and generic hybridity of a literature that ranged from the Gothic novel to the national tale, from monthly periodicals to fictionalized autobiography. In this volume leading scholars of the period explore the ways in which the Romantics developed genre from a taxonomical given into a cultural category, so as to make it the scene of an ongoing struggle between fixed norms and new initiatives. Focusing on non-canonical writers (such as Thelwall, Godwin and the novelists of the 1790s), or placing authors such as Wordsworth and Byron in a non-canonical context, these essays explore the psychic and social politics of genre from a variety of theoretical perspectives, while the introduction looks at how genre itself was rethought by Romantic criticism. Review "The essays collected in Romanticism, History, and the Possibilities of Genre are a welcome sign of a renewed interest in the complex interaction of literature, history, and ideology during the Romantic period. This superb collection of essays significantly advances both the theory and practice of genre criticism." Alan Bewell, Letters in Canada Book Description Leading scholars of Romanticism explore the relationship between ideology and literary genre. About the Author Julia M. Wright is Professor of English at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.