Victorian Poetry: An Anthology
The first new anthology of its kind in twenty years, Victorian Poetry provides generous selections of poetry both by well-known Victorian poets (Alfred Tennyson, Robert Browning, Christina Rossetti) and by writers who have received less critical attention (Constance Naden, Toru Dutt, Grace Aguilar). Detailed annotations, substantial biographies, and an introduction outlining major literary and historical…
Salome
Salome is Oscar Wilde’s most experimental—and controversial—play. In its own time, the play, written in French, was described by a reviewer as “an arrangement in blood and ferocity, morbid, bizarre, repulsive.” None, however, could deny the importance of Wilde’s creation. Contemporary audiences and reviewers variously regarded Salome as the symbol of a thrilling modernity, a…
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest marks a central moment in late-Victorian literature, not only for its wit but also for its role in the shift from a Victorian to a Modern consciousness. The play began its career as a biting satire directed at the very audience who received it so delightedly, but ended its initial…