Making the Novel

'A wide-ranging and sophisticated study of the novel that neatly combines a survey of the history and theory of the novel with a series of insightful readings of some of the major works of the eighteenth-century. Best of all, it's unfailingly lively and readable and brings the eighteenth-century novel to life.' - Jack Lynch, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA '...[a] thorough and engaging account of the British novel's evolution over the course of the long eighteenth century...The connections forged by Making the Novel bring the period, in all its delightful weirdness, to life - no mean feat.' - Modern Philology

This book advances a new cultural reading of the formation of the British novel. Rejecting a teleological narrative of the genre's 'rise' and through close analysis of key texts, the authors present a dynamic picture of the emergence of the novel, which focuses upon formal innovation, social engagement, and artistic and commercial competition.This book advances a new cultural reading of the formation of the British novel. Rejecting a teleological narrative of the genre's 'rise' and through close analysis of key texts, the authors present a dynamic picture of the emergence of the novel, which focuses upon formal innovation, social engagement, and artistic and commercial competition.