Richardson and Fielding : The Dynamics of a Critical Rivalry(Hardback) - 1999 Edition

by Allen Michie

Richardson and The Dynamics of a Critical Rivalry is the first book-length study of one of literature's most persistent and influential rivalries. Using an adaptation of Hans Jauss's reception theory, it surveys the recurring dichotomies projected onto Richardson and Fielding by all types of eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century readers. Even when the rival is not mentioned directly, readers usually make it pointedly clear that one author is being privileged at the other's expense.. "Even apart from its serious implications for literary history, the story of the Richardson/Fielding rivalry is a fascinating source of critical passions, prejudices, scholarly irresponsibility, wit, and often surprising interrelations between the literary tastes and cultural environments of the day.

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1999

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reception history of the two "fathers of the novel," focusing on how authors, literary critics, and the general public's opinions on these two reflect the concerns of different periods, 18th century to the present.