The Novel: An Alternative History (2010-13)
[Acquired: Saturday, October 12, 2013]:Moore, Steven, The Novel: An Alternative History, Beginnings to 1600. New York & London: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2010.
Moore, Steven, The Novel: An Alternative History, 1600 to 1800. Bloomsbury Academic. New York & London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2013.
The above cover image comes from Hermann Fenner-Behmer's Der Bücherwurm [The Bookworm] (1906) - rather a change from Carl Spitzweg's mid-nineteenth century picture of the same name:
It seems to be rather a consistent theme with Steven Moore. Here's the cover of volume one: a fine reproduction of Jean-Jacques Henner's La Liseuse [The Reader] (1880-90):
"I just thought I'd slip my kit off so I could catch up on my reading ..."
If there's a volume three, following the story from 1800-2000-odd (say), I wonder what other images might be appropriate? How about this one:
or this one:
or this one:
or even this one?
Who would have thought it was such a theme for fine artists down the ages? Seriously, though, Steven Moore's is a majestic work, long in the inception, and hitting pretty much all the right themes for me.
I salute him as a master as well as a kindred spirit (trash-talking, irreligious, fundamentally dirty-minded, and - above all - addicted to complex experimental fiction), and would therefore highly recommend both of his volumes: but particularly the first ...
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- category - Literature, Language & Philosophy: Literature & Philosophy
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