Life Writing and Victorian Culture (Nineteenth Century Series) (Nineteenth Century Series) (Nineteenth Century Series)

"In this collection of interdisciplinary essays, experts from Britain and the United States in the fields of nineteenth-century literature, and social and cultural history explore new directions in the field of Victorian life writing. Chapters examine a varied yet interrelated range of genres, from the biography and autobiography, to the relatively neglected diary, collective biography, and obituary. Reflecting the rich research being conducted in this area, the contributors link life writing to the formation of gendered and class-based identities; the politics of the Victorian family; and the broader professional, political, colonial, and literary structures in which social and kinship relations were implicated. A wide variety of Victorian works are considered, from the diary of the Radical Samuel Bamford, to the diary of the homosexual George Ives; from autobiographies of professional men to collective biographies of eminent women. Embracing figures as diverse as Gandhi, Wilde, and Bradlaugh, the collection explores the way in which narratives contested one another in a society that devoted an abundance of cultural energy to writing about, and reading of, lives."--Provided by publisher. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of Figures 8 List of Contributors 10 The Nineteenth Century Series General Editors' Preface 14 Dedication and Acknowledgments 16 Introduction: Victorian Life Writing: Genres, Print, Constituencies 18 1 Diary, Autobiography and the Practice of Life History 38 2 Men and Women of the Time: Victorian Prosopographies 58 3 The Self in Society: Middle-class Men and Autobiography 84 4 Male Masochism: A Model of Victorian Identity Formation 104 5 Promoting a Life: Patronage, Masculinity and Philip Meadows Taylor's The Story of My Life 122 6 Excursive Discursive in Gandhi's Autobiography: Undressing and Redressing the Transnational Self 140 7 In the Name of the Father: Political Biographies by Radical Daughters 162 8 The Deaths of Heroes: Biography, Obits and the Discourse of the Press, 1890-1900 182 9 Sex Lives and Diary Writing: The Journals of George Ives 212 10 'House of Disquiet': The Benson Family Auto/biographies 232 Index 250 Chapter Introduction: Victorian Life Writing: Genres, Print, Constituencies chapter 1 Diary, Autobiography and the Practice of Life History chapter 2 Men and Women of the Time: Victorian Prosopographies chapter 3 The Self in Society: Middle-class Men and Autobiography chapter 4 Male Masochism: A Model of Victorian Identity Formation chapter 5 Promoting a Life: Patronage, Masculinity and Philip Meadows Taylor's The Story of My Life chapter 6 Excursive Discursive in Gandhi's Autobiography: Undressing and Redressing the Transnational Self chapter 7 In the Name of the Father: Political Biographies by Radical Daughters chapter 8 The Deaths of Heroes: Biography, Obits and the Discourse of the Press, 1890-1900 chapter 9 Sex Lives and Diary Writing: The Journals of George Ives chapter 10 'House of Disquiet': The Benson Family Auto/biographies. Embracing figures as diverse as Gandhi, Wilde, and Bradlaugh, this collection explores the way in which narratives contested one another in a society that devoted an abundance of cultural energy to writing about, and reading of, lives. Edited By David Amigoni. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.