Anonymity : A Secret History of English Literature

Some of the greatest works in English literature were first published without their authors' names. Why did so many authors want to be anonymous--and what was it like to read their books without knowing for certain who had written them? In __Anonymity__, John Mullan gives a fascinating and original history of hidden identity in English literature. From the sixteenth century to today, he explores how the disguises of writers were first used and eventually penetrated, how anonymity teased readers and bamboozled critics--and how, when book reviews were also anonymous, reviewers played tricks of their own in return. Today we have forgotten that the first readers of __Gulliver's Travels__ and __Sense and Sensibility__ had to guess who their authors might be, and that writers like Sir Walter Scott and Charlotte Brontë went to elaborate lengths to keep secret their authorship of the best-selling books of their times. But, in fact, anonymity is everywhere in English literature. Spenser, Donne, Marvell, Defoe, Swift, Fanny Burney, Austen, Byron, Thackeray, Lewis Carroll, Tennyson, George Eliot, Sylvia Plath, and Doris Lessing--all hid their names. With great lucidity and wit, __Anonymity__ tells the stories of these and many other writers, providing a fast-paced, entertaining, and informative tour through the history of English literature.

Some of the greatest works in English literature were first published without their authors' names. Why did so many authors want to be anonymous—and what was it like to read their books without knowing for certain who had written them? In Anonymity, John Mullan gives a fascinating and original history of hidden identity in English literature. From the sixteenth century to today, he explores how the disguises of writers were first used and eventually penetrated, how anonymity teased readers and bamboozled critics—and how, when book reviews were also anonymous, reviewers played tricks of their own in return.

Today we have forgotten that the first readers of Gulliver's Travels and Sense and Sensibility had to guess who their authors might be, and that writers like Sir Walter Scott and Charlotte Brontë went to elaborate lengths to keep secret their authorship of the best-selling books of their times. But, in fact, anonymity is everywhere in English literature. Spenser, Donne, Marvell, Defoe, Swift, Fanny Burney, Austen, Byron, Thackeray, Lewis Carroll, Tennyson, George Eliot, Sylvia Plath, and Doris Lessing—all hid their names. With great lucidity and wit, Anonymity tells the stories of these and many other writers, providing a fast-paced, entertaining, and informative tour through the history of English literature.

Some of the greatest works in English literature were firstpublished without their authors' names. Why did so many authorswant to be anonymous--and what was it like to read their bookswithout knowing for certain who had written them? InAnonymity, John Mullan gives a fascinating and originalhistory of hidden identity in English literature. From thesixteenth century to today, he explores how the disguises ofwriters were first used and eventually penetrated, how anonymityteased readers and bamboozled critics--and how, when book reviewswere also anonymous, reviewers played tricks of their own inreturn. Today we have forgotten that the first readers ofGulliver's Travels and Sense and Sensibility hadto guess who their authors might be, and that writers like SirWalter Scott and Charlotte Brontë went to elaborate lengths to keepsecret their authorship of the best-selling books of their times.But, in fact, anonymity is everywhere in English literature.Spenser, Donne, Marvell, Defoe, Swift, Fanny Burney, Austen, Byron,Thackeray, Lewis Carroll, Tennyson, George Eliot, Sylvia Plath, andDoris Lessing--all hid their names. With great lucidity and wit,Anonymity tells the stories of these and many otherwriters, providing a fast-paced, entertaining, and informative tourthrough the history of English literature.

A fascinatingly rich and entirely original study of why many of the greatest authors of English literature chose to publish their work anonymously. We have forgotten that the first readers of "Gulliver's Travels" or "Sense and Sensibility" had to guess who their authors might be, and that writers like Sir Walter Scott and Charlotte Bront went to elaborate lengths to keep secret their authorship of the bestselling books of their times. But in fact, anonymity is everywhere and no history of English literature is complete without it. Donne, Marvell, Defoe, Swift, Fanny Burney, Austen, Byron, Thackeray, Lewis Carroll, Tennyson, George Eliot, Sylvia Plath and Doris Lessing - all chose to conceal their names. Why was it so important to authors that they remain unidentified? What was it like to read their books without knowing for certain who had written them? From the sixteenth century to the present, from Edmund Spenser to "Primary Colors," John Mullan explores how the disguises of writers were firsts used and eventually penetrated, how anonymity teased readers and bamboozled critics - and how, when books reviews were also anonymous, critics played tricks in return. With great wit and lucidity, "Anonymity" presents a new and engaging way of enjoying English literature. We Have Forgotten That The First Readers Of Gulliver's Travels Or Sense And Sensibility Had To Guess Who Their Authors Might Be, And That Writers Like Sir Walter Scott And Charlotte Bronte Went To Elaborate Lengths To Keep Secret Their Authorship Of The Bestselling Books Of Their Times. From The Sixteenth Century To The Present, From Edmund Spenser To Primary Colors, Author John Mullan Explores How The Disguises Of Writers Were First Used And Eventually Penetrated, How Anonymity Teased Readers And Bamboozled Critics - And How, When Book Reviews Were Also Anonymous, Critics Played Tricks In Return.--book Jacket. 1. Mischief -- 2. Modesty -- 3. Women Being Men -- 4. Men Being Women -- 5. Danger -- 6. Reviewing -- 7. Mockery And Devilry -- 8. Confession -- 9. Epilogue. John Mullan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [298]-351) And Index. "Some of the greatest works in English literature were first published without their authors' names. Why did so many authors want to be anonymous and what was it like to read their books without knowing for certain who had written them? In Anonymity, John Mullan gives a history of hidden identity in English literature. From the sixteenth century to today, he explores how the disguises of writers were first used and eventually penetrated, how anonymity teased readers and bamboozled critics - and how, when book reviews were also anonymous, reviewers played tricks of their own in return."--Jacket. Many of the great books of English literature were first published without their authors' names upon them. Ranging from the sixteenth century to the present day, Anonymity looks at the ways in which the disguises of writers such as Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë were first used to tease readers (and bamboozle critics).