Henry Power – författare

Epic into Novel looks at Henry Fielding's adaptation of classical epic in the context of what he called the 'Trade of . . . authoring'. Fielding was always keen to stress that his novels were modelled on classical literature. Equally, he was fascinated by--and wrote at length about--the fact that they were objects to be consumed. He recognised that he wrote in an age when an author had to consider himself 'as one who keeps a public Ordinary, at which all persons are welcome for their Money.' In describing his work, he alludes both to Homeric epic and to contemporary cookery books. This tension in Fielding's work has gone unexplored, a tension between his commitment to a classical tradition and his immersion in a print culture in which books were consumable commodities. This interest in the place of the ancients in a world of consumerism was inherited from the previous generation of satirists. The 'Scriblerians'--among them Jonathan Swift, John Gay, and Alexander Pope--repeatedly suggest in their work that classical values are at odds with modern tastes and appetites. Fielding, who had idolised these writers as a young man, developed many of their satiric routines in his own writing. But Fielding broke from Swift, Gay, and Pope in creating a version of epic designed to appeal to modern consumers.Henry Power provides new readings of works by Swift, Gay, and Pope, and of Fielding's major novels. He examines Fielding's engagement with various Scriblerian themes--primarily the consumption of literature, but also the professionalisation of scholarship, and the status of the author--and shows ultimately that Fielding broke with the Scriblerians in acknowledging and celebrating the influence of the marketplace on his work.

The Oxford Handbook of English Prose, 1640-1714 is the most wide-ranging overview available of prose writing in English during one of the most tumultuous periods in British and Irish history. Stretching from the outbreak of the English Civil Wars to the death of Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch, the volume is unprecedented in the breadth of its coverage of an age in which prose moved from the margins of cultural life in Britain to its centre. The volume also breaks new ground in the diversity of the prose writing it covers: its thirty-six chapters by an array of established literary critics and historians capture the excitingly multiple forms that prose took in what was a golden age for non-fictional writing, but which also saw the emergence of modes of prose fiction that became part of the origin story of the eighteenth-century novel. This Handbook reflects that multiplicity and diversity in its structure. Four longer introductory chapters map the changing contexts of the publication and reception of prose in the period, as well as the influence of the classical heritage and the role of relations with continental Europe. The subsequent thirty-two chapters are organized by different categories of prose writing. The contributors approach key authors and texts from various and often unconventional perspectives. The volume offers coverage of well-known writers and texts while also capturing the assortment of prose writing in a time of rapid political and social change: there are chapters on, for example, 'Bites and Shams'; 'Circulation Narratives'; 'Keys'; 'Pornography'; 'Recipe Books'; 'True Accounts', and even 'Handbooks'.

Epic into Novel examines an unexplored tension in Fielding's work: the tension between his commitment to the classical tradition and his immersion in a print culture in which books were regarded as consumable commodities. It gives a fresh account of Fielding's engagement with classical literature, showing how he fashioned his novels out of ancient epic. It also shows how Fielding drew on the language of cookery and consumption in order to characterize his relationship with the market. This interest in the place of the ancients in a world of consumerism was inherited from the previous generation of satirists. The 'Scriblerians'--among them Jonathan Swift, John Gay, and Alexander Pope--repeatedly suggest in their work that classical values are at odds with modern tastes and appetites. Fielding, who had idolized these writers as a young man, developed many of their satiric routines in his own writing. But Fielding broke from Swift, Gay, and Pope in creating a version of epic designed to appeal to modern consumers. Henry Power draws on a range of sources--including eighteenth-century cookery books as well as works of classical literature--to offer fresh readings of works by Swift, Gay, and Pope, and of Fielding's major novels. Epic into Novel explores Fielding's engagement with various Scriblerian themes, primarily the consumption of literature, but also the professionalization of scholarship, and the status of the author. It shows ultimately that Fielding broke with the Scriblerians in acknowledging and celebrating the influence of the marketplace on his work.

This volume in the 21st Century Oxford Authors series presents a substantial selection of Pope's writings, arranged in chronological order to give a sense of the development of his literary career. As well as the poems for which Pope is still best remembered—An Essay on Criticism, The Rape of the Lock, the Essay on Man, the Imitations of Horace, and the Dunciad—readers will find a broad range of lesser-known comic and occasional poems and of his satirical and critical prose. In addition, this volume pays due attention to Pope's genius as a translator, and includes generous selections from his versions of Chaucer, Ovid, Statius, and especially Homer. Several of Pope's letters are also included. Particular care has been taken to give a sense of Pope's arrangement of his verse on the page, in order to reflect his particular interest in the printed form of his work.Extensive commentary will guide readers to a full understanding and enjoyment of these ground-breaking works. The edition also includes a substantial introduction to Pope's writing, and a detailed chronology of his life.

A fresh and exciting approach to this great work of classical literatureHenry Power provides an overview of the whole poem, key extracts from the text and detailed commentary of crucial moments in the poem. Readers are encouraged to consider both the oral origins and the rich literary reception of this early epic whilst responding to core themes within it. Key Features* Aimed at new readers coming to the poem for the first time and those teaching it at universities alike* Includes innovative teaching strategies for engaging students with the poem

'It's rich and beautiful and strange' Rory Stewart, The Rest Is Politics'This is such a brilliantly told story of Homer-obsessives through the ages that, by the end, you're as hooked on Homer as they were' Frank Skinner'Every page is an illuminating joy' A. N. Wilson 'An endlessly generous book' Daisy HayThis is the story of how two ancient epics captured the world’s imagination.The siege of Troy and Odysseus’ long voyage home have inspired many of our most thrilling and radical poets. Henry Power takes us on a surprising journey through the afterlives of these mysterious epics, and the search for the poet who created them.Guiding us through the twists and turns of the Iliad and the Odyssey, Power travels to the places where Homer’s stories have taken root – from the islands of Greece to the Scottish Highlands, the Devon coast to suburban Los Angeles – to trace the footsteps of the poets, politicians, lunatics, and lovers haunted by Homer's mythical heroes and monsters.A dazzlingly original and deeply personal testament to the power of poetry, Homer-Haunted is an epic account of how our oldest stories have shaped the way we read, write, and think.