One of the most important works of twentieth-century British literature, The Good Soldier addresses the lives and interrelationships between two couples: one American, one British. A tragicomic novel of manners, in which John Dowell narrates the disintegration of both his own and another marriage, the work’s depiction of passion and intrigue offers an ironic reading of Edwardian-era values.
The Broadview edition features the text of the first edition of the novel published by John Lane and The Bodley Head in 1915. It also includes: other writings by Ford Madox Ford (“On Heaven,” excerpts from Henry James: A Critical Study, “On Impressionism,” and “Techniques”); contemporary reviews; and Ezra Pound’s obituary of Ford Madox Ford.
Comments
“It is excellent to see a Broadview edition of this seminal modernist work. ‘On Heaven’ is an inspired choice for an appendix, as is the extract from Henry James: A Critical Study, which will enable the reader to trace Ford’s application of his critical analyses. Biography, textual analysis, contemporary response—they’re all here. The reader of this edition is well-equipped for satisfying engagement with Ford’s great novel.” — Sara Haslam, Open University
