Description

A lucid, reverent doorway into the roots of English storytelling-the English Novel and the Principle of Its Development reimagined for today's readers. Lanier's essay-on-novels surveys narrative form with clarity, inviting both the curious reader and the scholar to feel the arc of literary history unfold. This book offers a compact yet rich map of nineteenth century england, tracing how social context shapes fiction from the Victorians to the craft of Charles Dickens and George Eliot. It blends literary criticism with historical observation, offering a narrative form analysis that illuminates why novels evolved, how characters breathe within their era, and what fiction tells us about a changing society. Written as an accessible academic study guide long before its time, the volume rewards patient reading and generous discussion, making it ideal for student reader resources and classroom reflection alike. An enduring note of significance rests in its thoughtful portrait of literary history: a window into how ideas, markets, and culture converge to shape a national literature. For casual readers drawn to masterful storytelling and collectors who treasure classic scholarship, this title is a rare find. Out of print for decades and now republished by Alpha Editions, it has been restored for today's and future generations. More than a reprint, it is a collector's item and a cultural treasure, warranting a place on any serious shelf of victorian era studies and george eliot criticism.