George Gissing

Gebundenes Buch

The Novels of George Gissing, Volume Two (complete and unabridged) including, The Odd Women, Eve's Ransom, The Paying Guest and Will Warburton

Beschreibung

This volume contains four novels: 1. The Odd Women. This is an astonishing book: a subversive, feminist take on marriage and women's roles in society, written by a man in the 1890s. The criticism of Victorian marriage and Victorian men runs deep within this excellent story. The characters are fascinating and believable, and the story will have you turning the pages as quickly as any contemporary novel. 2. Eve's Ransom. This short novel is a character study of a man who determines almost on a whim to rescue a young woman from a life of drudgery. It is a good story with timeless characters. Gissing's distinctive voice shines through: wry, disillusioned, half-hopeless and yet still finding beauty amid the rundown late Victorian world. 3. The Paying Guest. A rising middle class suburban British family takes in a young woman of a distinctly different background in order to secure a supplemental income. The effects of class and money on human relations brings chaos to the household. The humor of the book results from the awkwardness of snobbery and attempted refinement of their "guest" and her manipulative ways. 4. Will Warburton. This novel was written while he was dying and was not published until 1905, two years after his death. It is a very funny story, based around a secret that Will is trying to keep from his family. The characters and their musings are captivating and sometimes bizarre.

Autor

Gissing was born on November 22, 1857, in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, the eldest of five children to Thomas Waller Gissing, a chemist, and Margaret. His siblings included William, who died at the age of twenty, Algernon, who later became a writer, Margaret, and Ellen. The Gissing Trust maintains his childhood house in Thompson's Yard, Wakefield. Gissing attended Back Lane School in Wakefield, where he excelled academically. His real interest in reading began when he was ten years old, when he read Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop, and it expanded over time, thanks to his father's encouragement and the family library. Juvenilia written at this time was published in 1995 as The Poetry of George Gissing. After returning to England, Gissing and Nell lived in London, where he wrote novels and worked as a private instructor. When his debut novel, Workers in the Dawn, was rejected by a publisher, he self-published it using funds from an inheritance. Gissing married Nell on October 27, 1879. Their marriage was marred by poverty, and they were frequently separated while Nell was in the hospital due to ill health. Morley Roberts, a fellow novelist and Owens College alumni, published The Private Life of Henry Maitland, a novel inspired by Gissing's life, in 1912. He was acquaintances with Eduard Bertz, a German socialist whom he met in 1879.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Benediction Classics
• Seitenzahl: 812
• Erscheinungstermin: 29. Dezember 2015
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 235mm x 157mm x 52mm
• Gewicht: 1344g
• ISBN-13: 9781781395547
• ISBN-10: 1781395543
• Artikelnr.: 44387421