John Mullan – författare

'Pray, pray be composed,' cried Elinor, 'and do not betray what you feel to every body present. Perhaps he has not observed you yet.'For Elinor Dashwood, sensible and sensitive, and her romantic, impetuous younger sister Marianne, the prospect of marrying the men they love appears remote. In a world ruled by money and self-interest, the Dashwood sisters have neither fortune nor connections. Concerned for others and for social proprieties, Elinor is ill-equipped to compete with self-centred fortune-hunters like Lucy Steele, whilst Marianne's unswerving belief in the truth of her own feelings makes her more dangerously susceptible to the designs of unscrupulous men. Through her heroines' parallel experiences of love, loss, and hope, Jane Austen offers a powerful analysis of the ways in which women's lives were shaped by the claustrophobic society in which they had to survive.

Never has contemporary fiction been more widely discussed and passionately analysed; recent years have seen a huge growth in the number of reading groups and in the interest of a non-academic readership in the discussion of how novels work. Drawing on his weekly Guardian column, ''Elements of Fiction'', John Mullan examines novels mostly of the last ten years, many of which have become firm favourites with reading groups. He reveals the rich resources of novelistictechnique, setting recent fiction alongside classics of the past. Nick Hornby''s adoption of a female narrator is compared to Daniel Defoe''s; Ian McEwan''s use of weather is set against Austen''s and Hardy''s; Carole Shield''s chapter divisions are likened to Fanny Burney''s. Each section shows how some basicelement of fiction is used. Some topics (like plot, dialogue, or location) will appear familiar to most novel readers; others (metanarrative, prolepsis, amplification) will open readers'' eyes to new ways of understanding and appreciating the writer''s craft.How Novels Work explains how the pleasures of novel reading often come from the formal ingenuity of the novelist. It is an entertaining and stimulating exploration of that ingenuity. Addressed to anyone who is interested in the close reading of fiction, it makes visible techniques and effects we are often only half-aware of as we read. It shows that literary criticism is something that all fiction enthusiasts can do.Contemporary novels discussed include: Monica Ali''s Brick Lane; Martin Amis''s Money; Margaret Atwood''s The Blind Assassin; A.S. Byatt''s Possession; Jonathan Coe''s The Rotters'' Club; J.M. Coetzee''s Disgrace; Michael Cunningham''s The Hours; Don DeLillo''s Underworld; Michel Faber''s The Crimson Petal and the White; Ian Fleming''s From Russia with Love; Jonathan Franzen''s The Corrections; Mark Haddon''sThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time; Patricia Highsmith''s Ripley under Ground; Alan Hollinghurst''s The Spell; Nick Hornby''s How to Be Good; Ian McEwan''s Atonement; John le Carré''s The Constant Gardener; Andrea Levy''s Small Island; David Mitchell''s Cloud Atlas; Andrew O''Hagan''s Personality; Orhan Pamuk''s My Name Is Red; Ann Patchett''s Bel Canto; Ruth Rendell''s Adam and Eveand PinchMe; Philip Roth''s The Human Stain; Jonathan Safran Foer''s Everything Is Illuminated; Carol Shields''s Unless; Zadie Smith''s White Teeth; Muriel Spark''s Aiding and Abetting; Graham Swift''s Last Orders; Donna Tartt''s The Secret History; William Trevor''s The Hill Bachelors; and Richard Yates''s Revolutionary Road .

Never has contemporary fiction been more widely discussed and passionately analysed; recent years have seen a huge growth in the number of reading groups and in the interest of a non-academic readership in the discussion of how novels work. Drawing on his weekly Guardian column, ''Elements of Fiction'', John Mullan examines novels mostly of the last ten years, many of which have become firm favourites with reading groups. He reveals the rich resources of novelistictechnique, setting recent fiction alongside classics of the past. Nick Hornby''s adoption of a female narrator is compared to Daniel Defoe''s; Ian McEwan''s use of weather is set against Austen''s and Hardy''s; Carole Shield''s chapter divisions are likened to Fanny Burney''s. Each section shows how some basicelement of fiction is used. Some topics (like plot, dialogue, or location) will appear familiar to most novel readers; others (metanarrative, prolepsis, amplification) will open readers'' eyes to new ways of understanding and appreciating the writer''s craft.How Novels Work explains how the pleasures of novel reading often come from the formal ingenuity of the novelist. It is an entertaining and stimulating exploration of that ingenuity. Addressed to anyone who is interested in the close reading of fiction, it makes visible techniques and effects we are often only half-aware of as we read. It shows that literary criticism is something that all fiction enthusiasts can do.Contemporary novels discussed include: Monica Ali''s Brick Lane; Martin Amis''s Money; Margaret Atwood''s The Blind Assassin; A.S. Byatt''s Possession; Jonathan Coe''s The Rotters'' Club; J.M. Coetzee''s Disgrace; Michael Cunningham''s The Hours; Don DeLillo''s Underworld; Michel Faber''s The Crimson Petal and the White; Ian Fleming''s From Russia with Love; Jonathan Franzen''s The Corrections; Mark Haddon''sThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time; Patricia Highsmith''s Ripley under Ground; Alan Hollinghurst''s The Spell; Nick Hornby''s How to Be Good; Ian McEwan''s Atonement; John le Carré''s The Constant Gardener; Andrea Levy''s Small Island; David Mitchell''s Cloud Atlas; Andrew O''Hagan''s Personality; Orhan Pamuk''s My Name Is Red; Ann Patchett''s Bel Canto; Ruth Rendell''s Adam and Eveand PinchMe; Philip Roth''s The Human Stain; Jonathan Safran Foer''s Everything Is Illuminated; Carol Shields''s Unless; Zadie Smith''s White Teeth; Muriel Spark''s Aiding and Abetting; Graham Swift''s Last Orders; Donna Tartt''s The Secret History; William Trevor''s The Hill Bachelors; and Richard Yates''s Revolutionary Road .

''Pray, pray be composed,'' cried Elinor, ''and do not betray what you feel to every body present. Perhaps he has not observed you yet.''For Elinor Dashwood, sensible and sensitive, and her romantic, impetuous younger sister Marianne, the prospect of marrying the men they love appears remote. In a world ruled by money and self-interest, the Dashwood sisters have neither fortune nor connections. Concerned for others and for social proprieties, Elinor is ill-equipped to compete with self-centred fortune-hunters like Lucy Steele, whilst Marianne''s unswerving belief in the truth of her own feelings makes her more dangerouslysusceptible to the designs of unscrupulous men.Through her heroines'' parallel experiences of love, loss, and hope, Jane Austen offers a powerful analysis of the ways in which women''s lives were shaped by the claustrophobic society in which they had to survive.

''Pray, pray be composed,'' cried Elinor, ''and do not betray what you feel to every body present. Perhaps he has not observed you yet.''For Elinor Dashwood, sensible and sensitive, and her romantic, impetuous younger sister Marianne, the prospect of marrying the men they love appears remote. In a world ruled by money and self-interest, the Dashwood sisters have neither fortune nor connections. Concerned for others and for social proprieties, Elinor is ill-equipped to compete with self-centred fortune-hunters like Lucy Steele, whilst Marianne''s unswerving belief in the truth of her own feelings makes her more dangerouslysusceptible to the designs of unscrupulous men.Through her heroines'' parallel experiences of love, loss, and hope, Jane Austen offers a powerful analysis of the ways in which women''s lives were shaped by the claustrophobic society in which they had to survive.

''I wonder what will become of her!''So speculate the friends and neighbours of Emma Woodhouse, the lovely, lively, wilful,and fallible heroine of Jane Austen''s fourth published novel. Confident that she knows best, Emma schemes to find a suitable husband for her pliant friend Harriet, only to discover that she understands the feelings of others as little as she does her own heart. As Emma puzzles and blunders her way through the mysteries of her social world, Austen evokes for her readers a cast of unforgettable characters and a detailed portrait of a small town undergoing historical transition. Written with matchless wit and irony, judged by many to be her finest novel, Emma has been adapted many times for film and television. This new edition emphasises the novel''s extraordinary technical audacity. While apparently conservative in its choice of setting and range of characters, it was - and is - a formally revolutionary work.

''I wonder what will become of her!''So speculate the friends and neighbours of Emma Woodhouse, the lovely, lively, wilful,and fallible heroine of Jane Austen''s fourth published novel. Confident that she knows best, Emma schemes to find a suitable husband for her pliant friend Harriet, only to discover that she understands the feelings of others as little as she does her own heart. As Emma puzzles and blunders her way through the mysteries of her social world, Austen evokes for her readers a cast of unforgettable characters and a detailed portrait of a small town undergoing historical transition. Written with matchless wit and irony, judged by many to be her finest novel, Emma has been adapted many times for film and television. This new edition emphasises the novel''s extraordinary technical audacity. While apparently conservative in its choice of setting and range of characters, it was - and is - a formally revolutionary work.

Roxana (1724), Defoe''s last and darkest novel, is the autobiography of a woman who has traded her virtue, at first for survival, and then for fame and fortune. Its narrator tells the story of her own `wicked'' life as the mistress of rich and powerful men. A resourceful adventuress, she is also an unforgiving analyst of her own susceptibilities, who tells us of the price she pays for her successes. Endowed with many seductive skills, she is herself seduced:by money, by dreams of rank, and by the illusion that she can escape her own past. Unlike Defoe''s other penitent anti-heroes, however, she fails to triumph over these weaknesses.The novel''s drama lies not only in the heroine''s `vast variety of fortunes'', but in her attempts to understand the sometimes bitter lessons of her life as a `Fortunate Mistress''. Defoe''s achievement was to invent, in `Roxana'', a gripping story-teller as well as a gripping story.This edition uses the rare first edition text, with a new introduction, detailed notes, textual history, and a map.ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

With the rise of the novel in the mid-eighteenth century came the rise of sentimentalism. While the fondness for sentiment embarrassed later literary critics, it originally legitimized a morally suspect phenomenon: the novel. This book describes that legitimation, yet it looks beyond the narrowly literary to the lives and expressed philosophies of some of the major writers of the age, showing the language of feeling to be a resource of philosophers like David Hume and Adam Smith, as much as novelists like Richardson and Sterne.

This collection makes available what was once popular but has long been buried. During the eighteenth century, popular culture assumed a peculiar importance. In the early part of the century, high and low cultures often collided. Later in the century, politeness more and more required the distancing of genteel from vulgar amusements. This carefully annotated selection rediscovers some of the energies of the low and the vulgar in the period. It examines particular themes (crime, religious enthusiasm, popular politics, for example) by telling particular stories (the career of a notorious criminal, the exploits of a religious sect, John Wilkes and the crowd). It also illustrates how the very idea of popular culture was formed in the period, providing examples of the ways in which it was discussed both by those who were fearful of it and those who were fascinated by it.

This collection makes available what was once popular but has long been buried. During the eighteenth century, popular culture assumed a peculiar importance. In the early part of the century, high and low cultures often collided. Later in the century, politeness more and more required the distancing of genteel from vulgar amusements. This carefully annotated selection rediscovers some of the energies of the low and the vulgar in the period. It examines particular themes (crime, religious enthusiasm, popular politics, for example) by telling particular stories (the career of a notorious criminal, the exploits of a religious sect, John Wilkes and the crowd). It also illustrates how the very idea of popular culture was formed in the period, providing examples of the ways in which it was discussed both by those who were fearful of it and those who were fascinated by it.

"Pray, pray be composed," cried Elinor, "and do not betray what you feel to every body present. Perhaps he has not observed you yet."For Elinor Dashwood, sensible and sensitive, and her romantic, impetuous younger sister Marianne, the prospect of marrying the men they love appears remote. In a world ruled by money and self-interest, the Dashwood sisters have neither fortune nor connections. Concerned for others and for social proprieties, Elinor is ill-equipped to compete with self-centred fortune-hunters like Lucy Steele, whilst Marianne's unswerving belief in the truth of her own feelings makes her more dangerously susceptible to the designs of unscrupulous men.Through her heroines' parallel experiences of love, loss, and hope, Jane Austen offers a powerful analysis of the ways in which women's lives were shaped by the claustrophobic society in which they had to survive.

'I wonder what will become of her!'So speculate the friends and neighbours of Emma Woodhouse, the lovely, lively, wilful,and fallible heroine of Jane Austen's fourth published novel. Confident that she knows best, Emma schemes to find a suitable husband for her pliant friend Harriet, only to discover that she understands the feelings of others as little as she does her own heart. As Emma puzzles and blunders her way through the mysteries of her social world, Austen evokes for her readers a cast of unforgettable characters and a detailed portrait of a small town undergoing historical transition. Written with matchless wit and irony, judged by many to be her finest novel, Emma has been adapted many times for film and television. This new edition emphasises the novel's extraordinary technical audacity. While apparently conservative in its choice of setting and range of characters, it was - and is - a formally revolutionary work.

Never has contemporary fiction been more widely discussed and passionately analysed; recent years have seen a huge growth in the number of reading groups and in the interest of a non-academic readership in the discussion of how novels work. Drawing on his weekly Guardian column, 'Elements of Fiction', John Mullan examines novels mostly of the last ten years, many of which have become firm favourites with reading groups. He reveals the rich resources of novelistic technique, setting recent fiction alongside classics of the past. Nick Hornby's adoption of a female narrator is compared to Daniel Defoe's; Ian McEwan's use of weather is set against Austen's and Hardy's; Carole Shield's chapter divisions are likened to Fanny Burney's. Each section shows how some basic element of fiction is used. Some topics (like plot, dialogue, or location) will appear familiar to most novel readers; others (metanarrative, prolepsis, amplification) will open readers' eyes to new ways of understanding and appreciating the writer's craft.How Novels Work explains how the pleasures of novel reading often come from the formal ingenuity of the novelist. It is an entertaining and stimulating exploration of that ingenuity. Addressed to anyone who is interested in the close reading of fiction, it makes visible techniques and effects we are often only half-aware of as we read. It shows that literary criticism is something that all fiction enthusiasts can do.Contemporary novels discussed include: Monica Ali's Brick Lane; Martin Amis's Money; Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin; A.S. Byatt's Possession; Jonathan Coe's The Rotters' Club; J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace; Michael Cunningham's The Hours; Don DeLillo's Underworld; Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White; Ian Fleming's From Russia with Love; Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections; Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time; Patricia Highsmith's Ripley under Ground; Alan Hollinghurst's The Spell; Nick Hornby's How to Be Good; Ian McEwan's Atonement; John le Carré's The Constant Gardener; Andrea Levy's Small Island; David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas; Andrew O'Hagan's Personality; Orhan Pamuk's My Name Is Red; Ann Patchett's Bel Canto; Ruth Rendell's Adam and Eve and Pinch Me; Philip Roth's The Human Stain; Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything Is Illuminated; Carol Shields's Unless; Zadie Smith's White Teeth; Muriel Spark's Aiding and Abetting; Graham Swift's Last Orders; Donna Tartt's The Secret History; William Trevor's The Hill Bachelors; and Richard Yates's Revolutionary Road

Never has contemporary fiction been more widely discussed and passionately analysed; recent years have seen a huge growth in the number of reading groups and in the interest of a non-academic readership in the discussion of how novels work. Drawing on his weekly Guardian column, 'Elements of Fiction', John Mullan examines novels mostly of the last ten years, many of which have become firm favourites with reading groups. He reveals the rich resources of novelistic technique, setting recent fiction alongside classics of the past. Nick Hornby's adoption of a female narrator is compared to Daniel Defoe's; Ian McEwan's use of weather is set against Austen's and Hardy's; Carole Shield's chapter divisions are likened to Fanny Burney's. Each section shows how some basic element of fiction is used. Some topics (like plot, dialogue, or location) will appear familiar to most novel readers; others (metanarrative, prolepsis, amplification) will open readers' eyes to new ways of understanding and appreciating the writer's craft. How Novels Work explains how the pleasures of novel reading often come from the formal ingenuity of the novelist. It is an entertaining and stimulating exploration of that ingenuity. Addressed to anyone who is interested in the close reading of fiction, it makes visible techniques and effects we are often only half-aware of as we read. It shows that literary criticism is something that all fiction enthusiasts can do. Contemporary novels discussed include: Monica Ali's Brick Lane; Martin Amis's Money; Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin; A.S. Byatt's Possession; Jonathan Coe's The Rotters' Club; J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace; Michael Cunningham's The Hours; Don DeLillo's Underworld; Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White; Ian Fleming's From Russia with Love; Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections; Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time; Patricia Highsmith's Ripley under Ground; Alan Hollinghurst's The Spell; Nick Hornby's How to Be Good; Ian McEwan's Atonement; John le Carré's The Constant Gardener; Andrea Levy's Small Island; David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas; Andrew O'Hagan's Personality; Orhan Pamuk's My Name Is Red; Ann Patchett's Bel Canto; Ruth Rendell's Adam and Eve and Pinch Me; Philip Roth's The Human Stain; Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything Is Illuminated; Carol Shields's Unless; Zadie Smith's White Teeth; Muriel Spark's Aiding and Abetting; Graham Swift's Last Orders; Donna Tartt's The Secret History; William Trevor's The Hill Bachelors; and Richard Yates's Revolutionary Road .

The publication of the 44-volume Works of Daniel Defoe continues with this collection of Defoe''s satirical poetry and fantasy writings, and writings on the supernatural.

The publication of the 44-volume Works of Daniel Defoe continues with this collection of Defoe''s satirical poetry and fantasy writings, and writings on the supernatural.

The publication of the 44-volume Works of Daniel Defoe continues with this collection of Defoe''s satirical poetry and fantasy writings, and writings on the supernatural.

The publication of the 44-volume Works of Daniel Defoe continues with this collection of Defoe''s satirical poetry and fantasy writings, and writings on the supernatural.

The publication of the 44-volume Works of Daniel Defoe continues with this collection of Defoe''s satirical poetry and fantasy writings, and writings on the supernatural.

The publication of the 44-volume Works of Daniel Defoe continues with this collection of Defoe''s satirical poetry and fantasy writings, and writings on the supernatural.

The publication of the 44-volume Works of Daniel Defoe continues with this collection of Defoe''s satirical poetry and fantasy writings, and writings on the supernatural.

The publication of the 44-volume Works of Daniel Defoe continues with this collection of Defoe''s satirical poetry and fantasy writings, and writings on the supernatural.

The memoirs in this collection are written by those who had personal knowledge of Shelley, Byron and Wordsworth, or who claimed to be recording the accounts of those who had such knowledge. Each volume in this set contains facsimilies of the original memoirs.

The memoirs in this collection are written by those who had personal knowledge of Shelley, Byron and Wordsworth, or who claimed to be recording the accounts of those who had such knowledge. Each volume in this set contains facsimilies of the original memoirs.

The memoirs in this collection are written by those who had personal knowledge of Shelley, Byron and Wordsworth, or who claimed to be recording the accounts of those who had such knowledge. Each volume in this set contains facsimilies of the original memoirs.

In this second collection of biographical accounts of Romantic writers, the characters of Keats, Coleridge and Scott are recalled by their contemporaries, offering insights into their lives and writings, as well as into the art of 19th-century biography.

In this second collection of biographical accounts of Romantic writers, the characters of Keats, Coleridge and Scott are recalled by their contemporaries, offering insights into their lives and writings, as well as into the art of 19th-century biography.