Major Literary Movement
Mid- to Late 19th Century (c. 1850–1900): Aims for a truthful, detailed, and objective representation of ordinary life, society, and characters, particularly the middle and working classes. Rejects the romanticized idealization of earlier fiction.
e.g. Jane Austen (bridge figure), Gustave Flaubert, Mark Twain, Henry James, George Eliot.
I’m pleased to share that Fish O’Baby’s Great Tales will soon feature a new collection of short fiction by Alfred Edgar Coppard, one of the most distinctive and quietly innovative British writers of the early twentieth century. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be posting complete, readable editions of several of Coppard’s stories, many of which […]
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I’m pleased to share that Great Tales will soon feature a growing collection of stories by Mary Elizabeth Braddon—one of the most fascinating and influential British writers of the nineteenth century, and a key figure in what we now call sensation fiction. Beginning this week, I will be posting complete, readable editions of several of
Announcing a New Braddon Collection in Great Tales Read More »
We’ve just added three new stories by Edith Wharton; Roman Fever, The Fulness Of Life and Xingu. Edith Wharton’s writing style is characterized by sharp social satire, psychological depth, and the exploration of moral ambiguity within the constraints of upper-class society. In “Roman Fever,” Wharton masterfully employs a restrained, seemingly polite dialogue between two middle-aged women,
Three More By Edith Wharton Read More »
The late 19th and early 20th centuries were an era of profound transformation. Industrial expansion, urbanization, and the rise of new scientific and philosophical ideas reshaped Western life. Yet, amid these advances, women remained confined by the moral strictures of the Victorian Age, expected to embody the ideal of the “Angel in the House”—pure, submissive,
The 19th century was a crucible of literary innovation. The novel, journalism, and serialized fiction were expanding in scope and readership, while poetry was grappling with Romanticism’s fading idealism and the rise of realism. Amid these transformations, one form emerged with startling vitality: the short story. Once relegated to oral traditions, parables, and moral sketches,
The Birth of the Modern Short Story: Poe, Maupassant, and Chekhov Read More »