Serializing fiction in the Victorian press

Graham Law

"This study shows clearly how, from the late 1860s at least, serial publication in syndicates of weekly news miscellanies issued throughout Britain, and indeed its Empire, was increasingly important in cultural as well as economic terms. This approach generates new insights into the conditions under which novels were read and written, whether by long-forgotten explorers of the mass-market like David Pae, popularizing authors like Braddon and Besant, or by major artists like Hardy. Drawing on extensive archival research, Serializing Fiction is the first comprehensive account of the publication of instalment fiction in Victorian newspapers. A detailed descriptive history of the rise and decline of the practice of syndication is followed by a wide-ranging discussion of its implications for readership, authorship and the fictional form. The argument is supported both by illustrations and by tables presenting a wealth of data in easily assimilable form. This examination of a neglected corner of the marketplace for later Victorian fiction represents an important contribution to both literary and publishing history."--BOOK JACKET.