Carole G. Silver is Professor of English and holds the Humanities Chair at Yeshiva University (Stern College). She is also Adjunct Professor of English at New York University. Among her publications are The Romance of William Morris and The Earthly Paradise: Arts and Crafts by William Morris.
"A fascinating and beautifully written book. Victorianists who
think they have no interest in the subject should think again.
Silver finds fairies in every imaginable aspect of
nineteenth-century British life. Scholars of Victorian anthropology
and sociology; biology; genealogy; medical, legal, and women's
history; imperialism; Darwinism; photography; art; and literature
will all benefit from this marvelous book.... In her passionate,
jargon-free prose Silver
reminds us that literature always has been and literary criticism
can be a sheer delight to read."--Journal of English and Germanic
Philology
"While Silver presents a mainly academic approach, it is highly
readable and fascinating material to anyone who loves this literary
period."--Michigan Alumnus Magazine
"Carol G. Silver does much to remedy the dearth of historical
analysis in this rich field.... Silver's book is a significant
contribution to this fascinating hallmark of the Victorian
era."--Victorian Review [Canada]
"[A] fascinating account...Silver, a literature professor, provides
a generally valuable service in integrating anthropological,
linguistic, and folkloric materials into her discussion of
Victorian conceptions of alternative worlds of existence.
Recommended especially for Victorian specialists and sophisticated
readers of fairy tales."--Choice
"This is an entertaining and informative study of Victorian
culture....Provides some of the most original reading on the
subject we have."--The New York Times Book Review
"Highly accessible....This is essential for academic libraries, and
highly recommended for public libraries as well."--Library
Journal
"This is a masterful examination of [the nineteenth] century's
burgeoning interest in the folklore of fairies, and an
interpretation of this folklore in cultural and political terms....
This is a long overdue study, especially significant to anyone
interested in the full range of Victorian culture from its
scientific and pseudoscientific extensions of Darwinism,
ethnography, and genetics to its focus on the occult
'sciences'--theosophy, spiritualism, and so
on."--Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies
"[Features] the choicest discoveries...Silver has culled from her
vast reading in fairy lore and the Victorian
folklorists....Handsomely illustrated."--Studies in English
Literature
"While Silver presents a mainly academic approach, it is highly
readable and fascinating material to anyone who loves this literary
period."--Michigan Alumnus Magazine
"[A] fascinating account...Silver, a literature professor, provides
a generally valuable service in integrating anthropological,
linguistic, and folkloric materials into her discussion of
Victorian conceptions of alternative worlds of existence.
Recommended especially for Victorian specialists and sophisticated
readers of fairy tales."--Choice
"This is an entertaining and informative study of Victorian
culture....Provides some of the most original reading on the
subject we have."--The New York Times Book Review
"Highly accessible....This is essential for academic libraries, and
highly recommended for public libraries as well."--Library
Journal
"[Features] the choicest discoveries...Silver has culled from her
vast reading in fairy lore and the Victorian
folklorists....Handsomely illustrated."--Studies in English
Literature
"An interesting subject, a strong array of primary sources from
several disciplines, approachable organization... [Readers] will
close this volume enlightened and engaged."--Modern Philology
"A fascinating and beautifully written book. Victorianists who
think they have no interest in the subject should think again.
Silver finds fairies in every imaginable aspect of
nineteenth-century British life. Scholars of Victorian anthropology
and sociology; biology; genealogy; medical, legal, and women's
history; imperialism; Darwinism; photography; art; and literature
will all benefit from this marvelous book.... In her passionate,
jargon-free prose Silver
reminds us that literature always has been and literary criticism
can be a sheer delight to read."--Journal of English and Germanic
Philology
"Silver unearths all manner of interesting examples of folklore,
fiction, and supposed fact to illustrate aspects of this particular
Victorian fascination. Her discussion of the feedback loop between
folklore and the emerging sciences of the nineteenth century is
particularly intriguing, and adds an element seldom covered in
other analyses of fairy lore and belief.... Lucidly written and
accessible to the general reader."--Mythprint
"This is a masterful examination of [the nineteenth] century's
burgeoning interest in the folklore of fairies, and an
interpretation of this folklore in cultural and political terms....
This is a long overdue study, especially significant to anyone
interested in the full range of Victorian culture from its
scientific and pseudoscientific extensions of Darwinism,
ethnography, and genetics to its focus on the occult
'sciences'--theosophy, spiritualism, and so
on."--Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies
"Carol G. Silver does much to remedy the dearth of historical
analysis in this rich field.... Silver's book is a significant
contribution to this fascinating hallmark of the Victorian
era."--Victorian Review [Canada]
"Silver's superb study of the Victorian fascination with fairylore
and folklore reveals how pervasive and significant the belief in
fairies was and still may be in British culture. Silver traces the
evolution of fairy images throughout the nineteenth century and
convincingly demonstrates how they provide important commentary on
changing tastes and attitudes of the British, who took the fairies
very seriously. Her book is filled with fascinating case studies
of
changelings, fairy brides, goblins, and banshei, transformed into
representative figures of Victorian beliefs in discourses about
utilitarianism, race, gender, and industrialism. Not only does she
deal
with the intertextuality of fairylore in society and literature,
but she also discusses painting, music, ballet, theater, and
folklore. This book is required reading--and delightful
reading--for anyone interested in the 'secret people' who
captivated the Victorians throughout the nineteenth century."--Jack
Zipes, University of Minnesota
"Strange and Secret Peoples is concerned not with eminent
Victorians, but with the 'little people'--fairies, elves, mermaids
and the like--in whom those eminent Victorians believed. With
cogency, clarity, and learning, Carole Silver maps the intricacies
of nineteenth-century faith in fairy lore, a faith perhaps more
vital in British life than official, organized religion. [This
book] is a scintillating work that will appeal to everyone
interested in
nineteenth-century England, in odd gods and folk beliefs, and, of
course, to all readers who believe in fairies."--Nina Auerbach,
University of Pennsylvania
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