George Gissing

'Because one book had a sort of success he imagined his struggles were over.'Scholarly, anxious Edwin Reardon had achieved a precarious career as the writer of serious fiction. On the strength of critical acclaim for his fourth novel, he has married the refined Amy Yule. But the brilliant future Amy expected has evaded her husband. The catastrophe of the Reardon's failing marriage is set among the rising and falling fortunes of novelists, journalists, and scholars who labour 'in the valley of the shadow of books'.George Gissing's New Grub Street was written at breakneck speed in the autumn of 1890 and is considered his best novel. Intensely autobiographical, it reflects the literary and cultural crisis in Britain at the end of the nineteenth century.

A novel of social realism, The Odd Women reflects the major sexual and cultural issues of the late nineteenth century. Unlike the "New Woman" novels of the era which challenged the idea that the unmarried woman was superfluous, Gissing satirizes that image and portrays women as "odd" and marginal in relation to an ideal. Set in a grimy, fog-ridden London, Gissing's "odd" women range from the idealistic, financially self-sufficient Mary Barfoot to the Madden sisters who struggle to subsist in low paying jobs and little chance for joy. With narrative detachment, Gissing portrays contemporary society's blatant ambivalence towards its own period of transition. Judged by contemporary critics to be as provocative as Zola and Ibsen, Gissing produced an "intensely modern" work as the issues it raises remain the subject of contemporary debate.

The Nether World (1889), generally regarded as the finest of Gissing's early novels, is a highly dramatic, sometimes violent tale of man's caustic vision shaped by the bitter personal experience of poverty. This tale of intrigue depicts life among the artisans, factory-girls, and slum-dwellers, documenting an inescapable world devoid of sentimentality and steeped with people scheming and struggling to survive. With Zolaesque intensity and relentlessness, Gissing lays bare the economic forces which determine the aspirations and expectations of those born to a life of labor.

The main protagonist, Godwin Peak, is a star student at Whitelaw College, which he won a scholarship to attend. He wins many academic prizes and his future seems promising. Then his Cockney uncle arrives intending to open an eating-house adjacent to the college. Godwin is mortified of being associated with 'trade' and leaves the college rather than face the scorn he expects to receive from his upper-class fellow students. This is indicative of his social aspirations (upwards) and snobbery (downwards).

Friend to Henry James and H.G. Wells, and considered by some in a league with Thomas Hardy, British novelist GEORGE ROBERT GISSING (1857-1903) nevertheless remains uncelebrated today. But his works were popular and well-loved in his time.The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft, perhaps the most successful of his 23 novels, is Gissing's semiautobiographical tale of the struggles of a poor writer Realistic and unsentimental, this little-remembered but thoroughly enthralling novel will delight fans of Victorian literature.

Gissing, George

A novel from Gissing's best period

Gissing has been judged to be one of the foremost novelists of the late 19th century

"The book is worth reading from beginning to end," said The Nation in June 1905, upon the first American publication of this classic work of travel literature.The second of two memorable trips to the Mediterranean. The second was to Calabria and the wild Italian coast south of Naples. From bad food to filthy inns and dangerously watered wine, to a strange malarial-type fever which kept him bedridden for days, Gissing suffered all for the sake of viewing the sites and old ruins of "Magna Graecia," and to see for himself the classical cities he called his "land of romance." Filled with humor, pathos, and captivating landscapes, By the Ionian Sea continues to inspire the traveler, while re-educating the reader in the glories of this still-forgotten corner of Italy.

Julian never forgot the promise he had made to his uncle that Christmas night, eight years ago, when he was a lad of thirteen. Harriet he had always regarded as his sister, and never yet had he failed in brotherly duty to her.

Gissing has been judged to be one of the foremost novelists of the late 19th century

George Gissing was an English novelist, who wrote twenty-three novels between 1880 and 1903. Although his early works are naturalistic, he developed into one of the the most accomplished realists of the late-Victorian era. Born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, to lower-middle class parents, Gissing went on to win a scholarship to Owens College, the present day University of Manchester. A brilliant student, he excelled at university, winning many coveted prizes, including the Shakespeare prize in 1875. Between 1891 and 1897 (his so-called middle period) he produced his best works, which include New Grub Street, Born in Exile, The Odd Women, In the Year of Jubilee, and The Whirlpool. The middle years of the decade saw his reputation reach new heights: by some critics he is counted alongside George Meredith and Thomas Hardy as one of the best three novelists of his day. He also enjoyed new friendships with fellow writers such as Henry James, and H.G. Wells, and came into contact with many other up and coming writers such as Joseph Conrad and Stephen Crane.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

Fifteen short stories

George Gissing wrote twenty - three novels before his death in 1903. His subject was life as it was lived in the London slums and by the lower classes of ordinary people. A perceptive and informed observer, Gissing wrote on the issues that surrounded him, such as the financial woes of artists and the hardships faced by single, educated women. His works feature psychological analysis and dark humor

Miriam Baske, a young widow, leaves behind the gray stone chapels and flinty hearts of Lancashire for the sun and artistic splendor of Italy -- where she meets a host of her countrymen doing the Grand Tour.To Miriam's surprise, the English abroad are a different breed from those back in the bay of Naples, passion rules over reason. But will life change when they return to their own hearthsides?Reminiscent of George Eliot's Middlemarch , The Emancipated tells us as much about Victorian society -- with all its prejudices and rigid conventions -- as it does about one's woman's growth to human understanding. Published in 1890, it was Gissing's last novel before the more embittered view of New Grub Street -- a proclamation of hope, of freedom in the midst of Victorian darkness.

When he is eight years old Arthur Golding watches his gifted but dissolute father die in poverty and squalor. Aided by a series of brilliantly-drawn characters, Arthur escapes slum life, gains an education, falls in love, and looks set to launch his career in London as an artist. But when he meets a beautiful young prostitute he embarks on a liaison that plunges him into a dark world of passion, threatening to destroy everything he has worked for and holds dear. The text is that of the first edition published by Remington & Co in 1880, and also includes:

George Gissing was a late Victorian author. Between 1880 and 1903 Gissing wrote 23 novels. His early works were naturalistic and later he wrote in a realistic style. His works include New Grub Street, Born in Exile, The Odd Women, In the Year of Jubilee, and The Whirlpool. Alfred Athel loves Greek. While attending Oxford he suffers a breakdown. An excerpt reads," So Miss Hood -- Emily, as she was called by the little group of people away in Yorkshire, to whom she was other than a governess; Emily; as we will permit ourselves to call her henceforth -- always had the meal of tea with the children. After that the evening was her own, save that the twins kept her company until their hour of bedtime. The school-room was also her sitting-room. After half-past eight in the evening she had it to herself, and there she passed many an hour of quiet content, playing softly on the piano, reading, dreaming."

Here, on the quiet pavement shadowed by the College of Surgeons, she lingered in expectancy. Ten was striking, but she looked in vain for the figure she would recognize -- that of a well-dressed, middle-aged man, with a white silk comforter about his neck, and drawn up so as to hide his mouth. Twice she had met him here, and on each occasion he was waiting for her when she arrived. Five minutes passed -- ten minutes. She grew very impatient and, as a necessary consequence, very angry.

Dice Lashmore will do everything he can in in his quest to become rich. The key is, of course, finding a rich wife. This book describes his numerous courtships of women. It also describes the moral decline of a man who has only one goal, and how other people react to it. This book is about courtship, but also about values. It raises questions like: do modern values of feminism and choice still hold? Do everybody who claims to believe in them really believes, and, of course, what if not?

So what is the crown of life? Follow the journey of Piers and Irene as they attempt to discover. It is both a coming of age novel and love story at the same time, one which would bring delight to philosophers with many conversations for and against imperialism, romantics who would follow the long courtship in the center of the plot, and sociologists who would follow with interest the vivid way in which George Gissing describes the society in which he lived.

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This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

George Gissing was one of the leading novelists at the end of the nineteenth century, lauded by critics and admired by his literary friends. For the first time in publishing history, Delphi Classics is proud to present Gissing’s complete works in this comprehensive eBook, with all 23 novels, the entire non-fiction and special bonus texts. (18MB Version 1)* Illustrated with images relating to Gissing's life and works* Detailed introductions to the novels and other works* ALL 23 novels, with individual contents tables* Images of how the books were first printed, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts* Excellent formatting of the texts* Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the short stories* Easily locate the poems or short stories you want to read* Rare poems and short stories appearing for the first time in digital print* Includes Gissing's complete non-fiction, with all of the Dickensian criticism works* Special criticism section, including both Swinnerton and Yates’ seminal studies of Gissing* Features Morley Roberts' semi-biographical novel based on Gissing’s life Roberts* Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genresPlease visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titlesPlease note: some obscure short stories and poems cannot appear in this eBook, being the result of recent scholarship and so protected by copyright. Once these works enter the public domain, they will be added to the eBook as a free update.CONTENTS:The NovelsWORKERS IN THE DAWNTHE UNCLASSEDDEMOSISABEL CLARENDONTHYRZAA LIFE’S MORNINGTHE NETHER WORLDTHE EMANCIPATEDNEW GRUB STREETDENZIL QUARRIERBORN IN EXILETHE ODD WOMENIN THE YEAR OF THE JUBILEEEVE’S RANSOMSLEEPING FIRESTHE PAYING GUESTTHE WHIRLPOOLTHE TOWN TRAVELLERTHE CROWN OF LIFEOUR FRIEND THE CHARLATANTHE PRIVATE PAPERS OF HENRY RYCROFTVERANILDAWILL WARBURTONThe Short Story CollectionsHUMAN ODDS AND ENDSTHE HOUSE OF COBWEBSTHE SINS OF THE FATHER AND OTHER STORIESA VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCES AND OTHER STORIESBROWNIEUNCOLLECTED SHORT STORIESThe Short StoriesLIST OF SHORT STORIES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDERLIST OF SHORT STORIES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDERThe PoetryLIST OF POEMSThe Non-FictionCHARLES DICKENS: A CRITICAL STUDYBY THE IONIAN SEAFORSTER’S LIFE OF DICKENSTHE IMMORTAL DICKENSThe CriticismGEORGE GISSING: A CRITICAL STUDY by Frank SwinnertonGEORGE GISSING, AN APPRECIATION by May YatesLONDON NOTES: JULY 1897 by Henry JamesThe Biographical NovelTHE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY MAITLAND by Morley RobertsPlease visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles

George Gissing was an English novelist, who wrote twenty-three novels between 1880 and 1903. Although his early works are naturalistic, he developed into one of the the most accomplished realists of the late-Victorian era. Born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, to lower-middle class parents, Gissing went on to win a scholarship to Owens College, the present day University of Manchester. A brilliant student, he excelled at university, winning many coveted prizes, including the Shakespeare prize in 1875. Between 1891 and 1897 (his so-called middle period) he produced his best works, which include New Grub Street, Born in Exile, The Odd Women, In the Year of Jubilee, and The Whirlpool. The middle years of the decade saw his reputation reach new heights: by some critics he is counted alongside George Meredith and Thomas Hardy as one of the best three novelists of his day. He also enjoyed new friendships with fellow writers such as Henry James, and H.G. Wells, and came into contact with many other up and coming writers such as Joseph Conrad and Stephen Crane.

These tales of comedy and tragedy, loyalty and friendship, falls from grace and social unease, arrogant men and victims of good fortune, paint an honest portrait of life in nineteenth century Britain. The stories include "Lou and Liz," "The Day of Silence," "A Poor Gentleman," "Fleet-Footed Hester," "A Freak of Nature," and "Humplebee."

First published 1885

Embark on an exploration of societal challenges with George Gissing's insightful narrative in the thought-provoking story, "The Prize Lodger." Immerse yourself in a tale where the boundaries between fortune and misfortune blur, creating a narrative that will leave you both reflective and contemplative.As Gissing's narrative unfolds, follow the characters through the challenges of being The Prize Lodger and the consequences of unexpected circumstances, unraveling the complexities of societal expectations and the quest for stability. The evocative prose and societal depth will transport you to a world where the boundaries between privilege and adversity are explored, and the consequences of societal pressures are felt with intensity.But here's the question that will linger in the echoes of societal What if the story of The Prize Lodger is not just a tale of misfortune but a mirror reflecting the intricacies of societal expectations and the transformative power of resilience?Explore the societal details of this thought-provoking story, where each chapter unveils the challenges of being The Prize Lodger and reflections surrounding the characters. The blend of evocative prose and societal insights creates a reading experience that will leave you intellectually stimulated while contemplating the delicate balance between societal pressures and individual resilience.Are you prepared to navigate societal expectations within "The Prize Lodger" and reflect on the transformative power of resilience?Indulge in short, intellectually charged paragraphs that guide you through the reflective landscapes of societal exploration. The evocative prose and societal reflections will make you feel like a participant in the characters' journey, experiencing the challenges and rewards of navigating societal pressures.Here's your chance to not just read but to experience the societal exploration within "The Prize Lodger." This is more than a story; it's a celebration of the transformative power of resilience. Will you dare to confront societal expectations in this insightful narrative?Seize the opportunity to own a piece of intellectually charged literature. Purchase "The Prize Lodger" now, and let the thought-provoking narrative and thematic depth within its pages resonate in your contemplative thoughts.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

She was born and bred in Hackney -- the third child of a burly, thick-witted soldier, who had married without leave. Her mother, a thin but wiry woman, took in washing, and supported the family. At sixteen, Hester had a splendid physique: strangers imagined her a fine girl of nineteen or twenty. It was then she ceased running races with the lads in London Fields, for she was engaged to John Rayner, a foreman at the gasworks.