Zastrozzi and St Irvyne (World's Classics S.) - Softcover

Shelley, Percy Bysshe

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0192817248 ISBN 13: 9780192817242

Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks, 1986

Synopsis

Written when Shelley was not yet 20, these novels were published at the height of popularity for Gothic fiction and are filled with the trappings of the genre. The heroes and heroines of these novels are psychologically complex figures caught up in a tragedy of vengeance and dehumanization.

About this title

Review:

"With the current widespread reappraisal of both the importance of Shelley's early works and the centrality of Gothic fiction to the Romantic Period, this could hardly be a more timely edition, and it is splendidly introduced and edited by Stephen Behrendt."--Neil Fraistat

"For the first time ever, this edition presents complete texts of Shelley's two early prose romances, Zastrozzi, A Romance and St. Irvyne; or, The Rosicrucian, within a thick context of related materials: contemporary reviews of both works, Shelley's own reviews of contemporary fiction, Shelley's other works of prose fiction, and a shortened chapbook version of St. Irvyne. This material, scrupulously edited from original documents, is combined with a knowledgeable introduction, and thus guided, readers of the important source material brought together originally for this edition, will discover a range of illuminating new ways to think about Shelley's artistic development, his engagements with the aesthetic and political possibilities of prose fiction, and the cultural phenomenon of Gothic writing and reading in the discursive public sphere. Stephen Behrendt's edition of Percy Shelley's prose fiction makes a unique and rewarding contribution to studies of Shelley, Gothic fiction, and the literary marketplace during the Romantic era."--Greg Kucich

"With the current widespread reappraisal of both the importance of Shelley's early works and the centrality of Gothic fiction to the Romantic Period, this could hardly be a more timely edition, and it is splendidly introduced and edited by Stephen Behrendt." -- Neil Fraistat, University of Maryland

"For the first time ever, this edition presents complete texts of Shelley's two early prose romances, Zastrozzi, A Romance and St. Irvyne; or, The Rosicrucian, within a thick context of related materials: contemporary reviews of both works, Shelley's own reviews of contemporary fiction, Shelley's other works of prose fiction, and a shortened chapbook version of St. Irvyne. This material, scrupulously edited from original documents, is combined with a knowledgeable introduction, and thus guided, readers of the important source material brought together originally for this edition, will discover a range of illuminating new ways to think about Shelley's artistic development, his engagements with the aesthetic and political possibilities of prose fiction, and the cultural phenomenon of Gothic writing and reading in the discursive public sphere. Stephen Behrendt's edition of Percy Shelley's prose fiction makes a unique and rewarding contribution to studies of Shelley, Gothic fiction, and the literary marketplace during the Romantic era." -- Greg Kucich, University of Notre Dame

"With the current widespread reappraisal of both the importance of Shelley's early works and the centrality of Gothic fiction to the Romantic Period, this could hardly be a more timely edition, and it is splendidly introduced and edited by Stephen Behrendt." -- Neil Fraistat, University of Maryland

"For the first time ever, this edition presents complete texts of Shelley's two early prose romances, Zastrozzi, A Romance and St. Irvyne; or, The Rosicrucian, within a thick context of related materials: contemporary reviews of both works, Shelley's own reviews of contemporary fiction, Shelley's other works of prose fiction, and a shortened chapbook version of St. Irvyne. This material, scrupulously edited from original documents, is combined with a knowledgeable introduction, and thus guided, readers of the important source material brought together originally for this edition, will discover a range of illuminating new ways to think about Shelley's artistic development, his engagements with the aesthetic and political possibilities of prose fiction, and the cultural phenomenon of Gothic writing and reading in the discursive public sphere. Stephen Behrendt's edition of Percy Shelley's prose fiction makes a unique and rewarding contribution to studies of Shelley, Gothic fiction, and the literary marketplace during the Romantic era." -- Greg Kucich, University of Notre Dame

From the Publisher:

The Broadview Editions series is an effort to represent the ever-changing canon of literature in English by bringing together texts long regarded as classics with valuable, lesser-known literature. Newly type-set and produced on high-quality paper in trade paperback format, the Broadview Editions series is a delight to handle as well as read.

Each volume includes a full introduction, chronology, bibliography, and explanatory notes along with a variety of documents from the period, giving readers a rich sense of the world from which the work emerged.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks
• Publication date: 1986
• ISBN 10: 0192817248
• ISBN 13: 9780192817242
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 232