Bloomsbury Literary Studies

Blake. Wordsworth. Religion.

Ok, I know it’s the 1st day of February today and Christmas seems like it was a LONG time ago already, but I’ve been wanting to blog about my Christmas reading. It’s a new book in our New Directions in Religion and Literature series that landed on my desk just before the holidays.

Although it’s a book that went to press just after my arrival on the Continuum Literary Studies list (and thus, a book that I’ve had almost no direct involvement with), I’d heard some intriguing things about Jonathan Roberts’ book Blake. Wordsworth. Religion. and I was keen to give it a closer look. In keeping with the aims of the series, the book is about the interplay of religion, spirituality and literature, in this case exploring spirituality in the work of two of the most distinctive figures of the Romantic period, William Blake and William Wordsworth. In successive chapters the book explores a different critical approach to two works (one by Blake, one by Wordsworth) depicting a profound religious experience. Starting with a straight historical-biographical account of the two poems, Jonathan Roberts goes on to consider the works from a range of perspectives from a mystical/psychedelic account through to religious and theological analyses. Most intriguing of all, is Roberts’ ‘autobiographical’ account of the kind of spiritual experience that the two poets also write about – an ‘autobiographical’ account that turns out to be not quite what it seems.

No, I’m not going to tell you more. You’ll have to buy the book. But it is a genuinely recommended read and I hope you will at least check out the free preview or the further information on the book available here.

Happy reading,
David
Senior Editor,
Continuum Literary Studies

Stephen Burn praises The Novel: An Alternative History in The New York Times Book Review

In an essay for the series “Why Criticism Matters,” Stephen Burn heralded Steven Moore’s The Novel: An Alternative History as a potential starting point for literary criticism in the age of digital media.  Burn argues that the Amazon.com review has ended the time of the critic as a 'cultural arbiter,' passing down informed opinions to a population of lay readers.  In a day when the common reader has his own voice, the critic should work more to illuminate and elucidate a work than to offer a judgment.  An essential part of this task is situating a novel within literary history, as part of an ongoing dialogue with its predecessors.  Burn offered The Novel: An Alternative History as a paradigm for this approach:

'Steven Moore’s recent encyclopedic study…dramatically amplifies our understanding of what the novel can and cannot do, and highlights living currents that sprang into existence 40 centuries ago and continue to flow into the contemporary novel.' -- The New York Times Book Review

We are thrilled to hear that one of our most recent publications has made such a timely intervention in the critical scene!  Check out the full article here.

Wordsworth and Bronte - New Reader's Guides

Hello!

I thought it was about time that I made my first post as the new Senior Editor on Continuum's Literary Studies list. Choosing a subject for my first post has proven to be quite a challenge: we're in the very fortunate position of having published some really great new books on the Literary Studies list over the last month or so, the only question is which one do I tell you about first??

After much thinking it over, I thought I'd start with the two newest books to publish in our very successful Reader's Guides series. Many of you might be familiar with these books, which take readers and students step by step through some of the great works of the literary and philosophical canon. The first of the new books takes a look at William Wordsworth's Poetry. Written by Daniel Robinson, Professor of English at Widener University, USA, the book not only takes a close look at the poetry itself (including The Prelude and Wordsworth's contributions to Lyrical Ballads), but also explores the political and cultural contexts in which Wordsworth wrote. Later chapters also cover Wordsworth's publishing history and his critical reception and  influence from his own time down to the present. You'll find a free preview by clicking through on the jacket above and you can find more information, including table of contents, here.

The second book, written by Zoe Brennan of the University of the West of England, takes a look at Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre remains, of course, one of the most genuinely popular novels ever published and to this day is frequently adapted for stage and screen. Our Reader's Guide provides a thorough survey of the book's adaptations and influence in addition to exploring its themes, form, language and use of imagery. As with other titles in the series, the book also provides a full guide to further reading available on Bronte's novel. The free preview is available above and, again, you can find further details on the book here.

Happy reading!

David,
Senior Editor,
Continuum Literary Studies

European Local-Color Literature

Always searching for new areas to explore and advance, Josephine Donovan has written and edited influential works in areas as varied as Feminist Theory, Animal Rights, and what she calls local-color American literature. It is the development of her work in this last area that is the impetus for her soon to be published European Local-Color Literature: an exploration of the rise of local literature in Europe in the nineteenth century, and its ties to similar developments in North America. Professor Donovan argues that we should view 19th century local-color literature in Ireland, Scotland, Germany and France as a movement and that, collectively, these writings constitute a form of resistance to the "institutions and ideologies of modernity."

Donovan's book has already received high praise from her fellow scholars:

"...breaks important new ground in the writing of modern literary history." - Sylvia Mayer, Chair of American Studies, University of Bayreuth

"...this stunningly original book argues that the European local literature embodies Foucault's concept of marginal 'subjugated knowledges.' ... Filling in the gaps, this study constitutes a radical reinterpretation of the development of Western literature." - Deborah D. Rogers, Professor of English, University of Maine

"...brings into focus and situates literary works of which we should all be more aware." - Mary N. Layoun, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"Reinvesting the local, Donovan's book provocatively suggests that the challenges of nineteenth-century Europe are today's challenges." - Cecile Roudeau, Associate Professor, Universite Paris 3 - Sorbonne Nouvelle

"Yet again, Donovan has expanded and enriched our understanding of local-color writing and its significance." - Ann Romines, Professor of English, The George Washington University