William Makepeace Thackeray first published his novel Vanity Fair as a serial between January 1847 and July 1848. He subtitled the book “A Novel Without a Hero,” signaling a new type of novel. Having suffered bitterly himself due to what… Read More ›
In his first novel, Pelham, or the Adventures of a Gentleman, Edward Bulwer-Lytton shaped a character named Henry Pelham who introduced an enduring ritual into English society. A dandy known for his pretentious behavior, Pelham dressed in black for dinner,… Read More ›
Despite criticism of Catherine Grace Gore’s work by notables such as William Makepeace Thackeray, it proved highly popular in its day and included some novels deemed superior to others. One of her best works, Mrs. Armytage, or, Female Domination, excels… Read More ›
Later to become famous for his thesis novels, Benjamin Disraeli used the popularity of silver-fork fiction to produce a romance in Henrietta Temple. While the plot did emphasize the pressures placed on individuals by society to marry well, that is… Read More ›
Like her first novel, Self Control (1810), Mary Brunton’s second novel, Discipline, remains most important for its contribution to the development of silver-fork fiction and the manners novel, later made most famous by Jane Austen. Didactic in nature, the novel… Read More ›
When George Meredith published his 1885 novel, Diana of the Crossways, women readers welcomed his heroine as representative of recent social reforms. The novel reflects its era’s obsessive interest in the breakdown of standards, which had been part of a… Read More ›
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