Dear Byron Society Members, British Romanticism and the Jews: History, Culture,
Literature. Byron, Sully, and the Power of Portraiture. The Hummingbird Cabinet: A Rare and Curious
History of Romantic Collectors Indian Renaissance: British Romantic Art and
the Prospect of India. The Jews and British Romanticism. Romanticism and Religion from William Cowper
to Wallace Stevens.
Romanticism: Comparative Discourses.
NEW! “In his eloquent comparative analysis of Austen’s novels and Darwin’s
ideas, Peter Graham combines techniques of scientific exploration
and literary analysis to dissect the acute powers of observation
that enabled these writers to produce works that illuminate social
and collective behavior. Jane Austen and Charles Darwin emerge as
intellectual kindred not only in their reliance on empiricism and
serendipity, but in their relevance for the twenty-first century.” Are Jane Austen and Charles Darwin the two great English empiricists of the nineteenth century? Peter W. Graham poses this question as he brings these two icons of nineteenth-century British culture into intellectual conversation in his provocative new book. Graham shows that while the one is generally termed a naturalist (Darwin's preferred term for himself) and the other a novelist, these characterizations are at least partially interchangeable, as each author possessed skills that would serve well in either arena. Both Austen and Darwin are naturalists who look with a sharp, cold eye at the concrete particulars of the world around them. Both are in certain senses novelists who weave densely particularized and convincingly grounded narratives that convey their personal observations and perceptions to wide readerships. When taken seriously, the words and works of Austen and Darwin encourage their readers to look closely at the social and natural worlds around them and form opinions based on individual judgment rather than on transmitted opinion. Graham's four interlocked essays begin by situating Austen and Darwin in the English empirical tradition and focusing on the uncanny similarities in the two writers' respective circumstances and preoccupations. Both Austen and Darwin were fascinated by sibling relations. Both were acute observers and analysts of courtship rituals. Both understood constant change as the way of the world, whether the microcosm under consideration is geological, biological, social, or literary. Both grasped the importance of scale in making observations. Both discerned the connection between minute, particular causes and vast, general effects. Employing the trenchant analytical talents associated with his subjects and informed by a wealth of historical and biographical detail and the best of recent work by historians of science, Graham has given us a new entree into Austen's and Darwin's writings. Contents: Introduction; '3 or 4 families in a country village', or naturalists, novelists, empiricists, and serendipitists' 'A entangled bank', or sibling development in a family ecosystem; 'Marry—Mary—marry'; Variations on variation; Select bibliography; Index. March 2008 214 pages Hardback 978-0-7546-5851-1 $99.95/£50.00 Available at a 20% discount to members of The Byron Society of America (Sale price: $79.96/£40.00). For more information on this and other Ashgate titles, please visit www.ashgate.com. To place an order, please contact Suzanne Sprague, ssprague@ashgate.com or 1-802-276-3162 and be sure to mention this offer with the promotion code 92K. Prices do not include shipping and handling. For orders within North America, shipping is $6 for the first book and $1 for each additional book. For orders outside of North America, shipping is $15 for the first book and $2.50 for each additional book. This offer is valid until December 31, 2008 and may not be combined with any other discounts. Byron and Orientalism We offer a 30% discount to members of the Byron Society of America members for titles on Byron or any other Romantics. Any orders can be sent directly to Vlatka Kolic by e-mail or by telephone (0191 274 7224). Please mention your membership to the Byron Society of America so that the appropriate discount is applied. Postage charges: Within the UK (add ££3.00 for the first book and ££2.50 per book thereafter). Surface mail worldwide (add ££4.00 for the first book and ££3.00 per book thereafter). Airmail worldwide (add ££7.00 for the first book, and ££6.00 per book thereafter) Courier worldwide (add ££20.00 for the first book and ££12.00 per book thereafter). Please note: surface mail requires up to 8 weeks for delivery and payment details. Payment options:
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