Saturday 12 February 2011

Reading the Eighteenth Century


After watching a fantastic BBC4 programme about the history of the novel, I vowed to read a novel from the C18th. I have read Clarissa (short version, original is eight volumes!) and...er...Fanny Hill (yes, it's C18th porn), The Castle of Otranto (pioneering gothic novel) and planned to read Tom Jones or Tristram Shandy. However, I was daunted by the giant size of both and instead bought Evelina by Frances Burney. It's a rom-com by an author who was greatly admired by Jane Austen.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fanny Burney's novels are nuts but fun.

Elinor Vickers said...

I'm loving it except its very off-putting the hero being called Lord Orville as it reminds me of Orville the green bird. There's some very cruel humour though.

Elinor Vickers said...

Tried reading Tristram Shandy but it was driving me bonkers with its endless digressions and the infamous unborn hero section.