Overview

Giving readers a fascinating look deep into Victorian England, this critical edition of Walter Besant’s Children of Gibeon is ideally suited to courses in Victorian literature and history. The book includes several features to aid students in understanding the novel as both a literary work and an insightful exploration of important issues in Victorian society, including the role of women, poverty, inequality, and urban development. These features include: A critical introduction Annotations explaining Victorian terminology and events Contemporary reviews of the novel Contextualizing historical documents Appendices covering literary and social contexts, working-class domestic interiors, and middle-class domesticity By immersing themselves in Besant’s tale of Lady Mildred Eldridge and her two daughters, one of whom is actually adopted from her former servant, students will gain fascinating insights into Victorian life. Following the tale of Violet and Valentine, who bear a striking resemblance to one another, students participate in a literary puzzle in which the truth of their origins reveals itself to the reader even as the characters remain in the dark. The story of the two girls is also a story of Victorian London—a city torn by geographic and economic divides. The unique literary, social, and historical perspectives provided by this annotated edition also make the book suitable for classes in nineteenth-century history, material culture, and gender studies.

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9781634870450

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Author Information

Kevin A. Morrison earned his Ph.D. in English literature at Rice University and specializes in Victorian literature and culture. Now an assistant professor at Syracuse University, Dr. Morrison teaches courses in Victorian love poetry, literary urban studies, and the Victorian family. His work has been published in numerous journals including Novel: A Forum on Fiction, European Romantic Review, and Victorian Literature and Culture. He is working on a book-length study, Frames of Mind, which examines the relationships among Victorian literary form, political thought, and material culture.

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