03239nam 2200433Ia 450 99655696470331620231211214512.01-3995-1606-X10.1515/9781399516068(CKB)28456847500041(DE-B1597)664946(DE-B1597)9781399516068(EXLCZ)992845684750004120231101h20232023 fg engur||#||||||||txtrdacontentcrdamediacrrdacarrierEpigraphs in the English Novel 1750-1850 Seducing the Reader /Corrina ReadioffEdinburgh :Edinburgh University Press,[2023]©20231 online resource (240 pages) 2 B/W tables 16 B/W line art 2 graphs, 2 tables, and 16 charts9781399516044 The first book-length investigation of the history of pre-chapter epigraphs in the English novelOffers detailed insight into the development and function of the epigraph from 1750 to 1850Demonstrates the enduring versatility of the epigraph and of paratextual approaches to literary criticismPresents a survey of pre-chapter paratext in English fiction first-published between 1750 and 1850, drawing upon a dataset of nearly 6000 novelsProvides case studies of epigraphs in the works of canonical authors (e.g. Radcliffe, Lewis, Scott, and Gaskell), and places these within a wider context of epigraphic and literary development in fiction by influential, though less well-known, writers (Chaigneau, Helme, Stannard Barrett, Gore)Epigraphs in the English Novel 1750-1850 uncovers the early history of the epigraph, narrating the surprising story of how this long-overlooked feature morphed from moral didactic heading to Gothic tag-line to witty realist commentary within a single century. Adorning fictional narratives of rakes and sex workers, oppressed heroines and Jacobite heroes, the epigraph has been used by authors to preach, teach, amuse, or even completely misdirect their readers. Supported by a survey of pre-chapter paratext in nearly 6000 novels from 1750 to 1850, this monograph explores the changing influences upon and functions of epigraphs over time via detailed close readings and literary criticism. Focusing upon key generic developments, this book adopts a case-study style format to examine epigraphic usage in the works of canonical authors including Sarah Fielding, Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Smith, Walter Scott, and Elizabeth Gaskell alongside those of less well-known novelists such as William Chaigneau, Elizabeth Helme, and Catherine Gore.English fiction18th centuryHistory and criticismEnglish fiction19th centuryHistory and criticismEpigraphs (Literature)English fictionHistory and criticism.English fictionHistory and criticism.Epigraphs (Literature).823.509Readioff Corrina authttp://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/aut0DE-B1597DE-B1597BOOK996556964703316Epigraphs in the English Novel 1750-18503601787UNISA