By the time Ian Watt published The Rise of the Novel. in 1957, it was clear that many women novelists before Jane Austen had been overlooked in critical studies of literature and that some of them had been completely forgotten by the reading public. In this book, Brian Corman explores the question of how and why this came about. Corman provides a systematic survey of the reputations of early women novelists as canons of the novel developed over a period of roughly two hundred years, and, in so doing, suggests reasons for their frequent exclusion. Women Novelists before Jane Austen challenges the view that exclusion from the canon was a simple function of gender and goes deeper to examine potential reasons why certain women writers were overlooked. In the process, it provides an overview of histories of the British novel from the beginning through to the mid-twentieth century, ending with the publication of Watt's famous text. Further, Corman offers a prolegomenon to the important recovery work of the late-twentieth century in which many revised accounts of the history of the novel appeared, essentially improving the scope covered by Watt. This study historicizes the place of early women novelists in the British canon in order to provide an informed context for current views.

Through chronologies, alphabetically arranged entries, and extensive bibliographies, this encyclopedia provides detailed and comprehensive information about Austen's life, works, and critical reputation.

Jane Austen and Mary Shelley and Their Sisters is an unprecedented work that provides an in-depth analysis of the work of women novelists from the Romantic age, a period that has long been exclusively designated as the province of canonized male poets. Although there are many volumes on the works of Austen and Shelley, this collection is the first to consider these writers and others in the wider context of English fiction by women during the 1780s to 1830s. Collectively, the authors examine the works of nearly fifteen women novelists of the Romantic period whose works encompass the prevailing social and political realities of the time. They demonstrate that women writers were not following a specific formula to produce their creative works but were instead responding to an insatiable market for their imaginative and infinitely varied wares. A must-read for scholars of women's studies as well as 19th century British literature, Jane Austen and Mary Shelley and Their Sisters is sure to be an important resource for years to come.

This, Professor Roth's third annotated bibliography of studies on Jane Austen, covers the years 1984-1994. Like the critically acclaimed earlier volumes, it charts the steady growth and enrichment of literary criticism of Austen in the second half of the twentieth century. The first bibliography, which covered the period 1952-1972, contained 794 items; the second, which treated 1973-1983, included over 1,060 pieces; this third work has 1,327 entries. Such concentrated attention paid to this major English novelist shows signs only of intensifying, for fresh, illuminating interpretations continue to appear at a rapid pace. This bibliography serves as a scholarly tool locating and summarizing research so as to establish the present state of our knowledge of Austen studies and to assist others in proceeding as fully informed as possible of past efforts. This third bibliography includes all Austen studies first published in the period 1984-1994; more particularly, every book, essay, article, and doctoral dissertation on her, as well as the critical matter appended to every edition of her works in English, and to translations and significant mentions. For clarity and ease of reference, the bibliography is divided into three main sections. The first covers books, essays, and articles devoted entirely or in good part to Austen, including reviews of all the book-length studies. The second section focuses on doctoral dissertations wholly or in part about her. The third gathers together significant mentions, included regardless of length when they entail an unusual, perceptive, or otherwise striking idea. Austen followers everywhere will welcome Roth's thorough research and systematic presentation.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, perhaps her most recognizable work, is a story of manners, courtship, and marriage in 18th- and 19th-century England. Elizabeth Bennet, the witty heroine of the novel, is Austen's most vibrant and vital literary character. This updated volume presents a perceptive introduction by series editor Harold Bloom and an eclectic collection of full-length essays by respected scholars that will enrich students' academic views on this charming classic.

This bibliography lists 20th-century literary criticism of 35 18th- century Anglo-American women novelists, including Mary Wollstonecraft, Maria Edgeworth, and Frances Burney. Novelists are ordered alphabetically; each section begins with a list of the author's published fiction, followed by chronologically ordered summaries of critical articles, papers, theses, and dissertations. Summaries list the name of the critic, the title, the publisher, and the page, if applicable. Most summaries are one or two sentences long; the longer ones contain quotations from the critical writing. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR