Published in 1751, John Cleland’s second novel (after the notorious Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure) is a witty and complex portrait of aristocratic British society in the mid-eighteenth century. Its young protagonist, Sir William Delamore, meets, falls in love with, and pursues the mysterious heiress Lydia. Rather than a conventional romance, however, the novel is an acerbic social satire, and Sir William an unreliable narrator and incomplete hero. In its experiments with narrative form and its sophisticated examination of masculine identity, Memoirs of a Coxcomb is an important marker in the development of the eighteenth-century novel.
This Broadview edition includes a critical introduction that places Memoirs in the context of Cleland’s life and literary career. Also included is a broad selection of appendices, including Tobias Smollett’s review of the novel, selections from Cleland’s criticism, three texts by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and contemporary documents on masculinity (particularly the figures of the coxcomb and the fop) and prostitution.
Comments
“Hal Gladfelder has done all those interested in eighteenth-century literature, and in the history of sexuality and gender, a great service with this unprecedented scholarly edition of Memoirs of a Coxcomb. The elegant critical introduction, judicious textual notes, and well-chosen appendices—both useful and diverting—make this an invaluable text.” — Ann Louise Kibbie, Bowdoin College
“This is an excellent edition of Cleland’s intriguing Memoirs of a Coxcomb, a novel that offers a sort of masculine version of his more famous Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure. This book will add a new dimension to discussions of the novel, eighteenth-century culture, masculinity, and gender.” — Laura Rosenthal, University of Maryland
