The Nineteenth-Century Present

‘Ludlow and Claes set out to remind us of the heterogeneity and sophistication of 'historicisms' both in the nineteenth century, and in the more recent field of Victorian Studies. It more than succeeds. From the entanglements of material and psychological histories in the novels of Thomas Hardy, to the 'flesh and blood' disruptions of 'ordinary time' in Josephine Butler's eschatology and contemporary womanist ethics, The Nineteenth-Century Present makes it impossible for us to see 'history' and 'theory' as two separate modes of approach. Instead, 'historicism' emerges as a vibrantly theoretical practice that has invigorated scholarly inquiry for at least two centuries. With this volume in hand, that practice looks set to continue. A must-read volume for all students of the nineteenth century as it lives and breathes in the now.’
—Adelene Buckland, Reader in Nineteenth-Century Literature, Kings College London

‘In their exploration of the complex imbrications of historicity and literature over the course of the long nineteenth century, the chapters in this volume brilliantly illuminate the sheer multifariousness of the past and its relations to an ineluctable Romantic, Victorian and Edwardian present. Marshalling established and new scholarly voices to consider writers both canonical and lesser known, the collection responds enthusiastically to recent scholarly provocations about the place of history in nineteenth-century studies even as it subtly realigns the very terms of the debate. As both editors and contributors, Koenraad Claes and Elizabeth Ludlow have assembled a rich and stimulating book that is destined to become a standard point of scholarly reference.’
—Dale Townshend, Professor of Gothic Literature, Manchester Metropolitan University

‘This wonderfully wide-ranging book situates the nineteenth-century present in epic vistas. Ludlow, Claes and their contributors show how invested the period’s writers were in religious, evolutionary and alternative imagined timelines. Crucially, they take seriously historical visions from across the political spectrum, going beyond liberalism from Tory conservatives to socialists and Red Republicans. In the process, they develop new ways to think about both under-appreciated and canonical figures and works.’
—Helen Kingstone, Senior Lecturer in 19th Century Literature, Royal Holloway University