Table of Contents

Chronology; Introduction Lawrence Manley; 1. Images of London in medieval English literature Ralph Hanna; 2. London and the early modern stage Jean E. Howard; 3. London and the early modern book Adrian Johns; 4. 'Sweet Thames! Run softly': London and poetry to 1750 Brean Hammond; 5. Upon the town: staging London in the Restoration and eighteenth century Laura J. Rosenthal; 6. London and narration in the long eighteenth century Cynthia Wall; 7. London and nineteenth-century poetry William Sharpe; 8. City walkers: London in the Victorian novel Rosemarie Bodenheimer; 9. London in Victorian visual culture Shearer West; 10. London in poetry since 1900 Peter Barry; 11. London and modern prose, 1900–50 Leo Mellor; 12. Immigration and postwar London literature John C. Ball; 13. London eyes: writing London in the twenty-first century John McLeod; 14. Inner London James Donald; Further reading; Index.

Promotional Information

This book offers a variety of approaches to the topic of London in English literature from the Middle Ages to the present.

About the Author

Lawrence Manley is William R. Kenan, Jr Professor of English at Yale University, Connecticut.

Reviews

'A magnificent force for good when it comes to challenging assumptions … The long view provided by the Cambridge Companion is its greatest strength. More than any dry history book, this collection of thoughts and reflections - not to mention directions new and old to follow in your London reading life - is like a history lesson taken while walking with the likes of Dickens, Gissing and Pope as tour guides.' Time Out

'The authors take us effortlessly, in a broadly chronological sequence, from Chaucer's Southwark to Zadie Smith's Willesden in a fascinating journey through the works of many famous authors and some who are forgotten or unknown … The scholarship is of a high order … written in a friendly style that should engage any reader with an interest in London's rich literary history.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

'The 15 contributors to this volume take us effortlessly, in a broad chronological sequence,from Chaucer's Southwark to Zadie Smith's Willesden through the works of many authors … This book's scholarship is of a high order but it is written in a friendly style, which should engage any reader with an interest in London's literary history.' The Independent

'… Brean Hammond considers 'London and Poetry to 1750' … specifically London landmarks poetry. In his article Hammond traces the poetic tradition of responding to the city, and articulates the continuities between Donne and Dryden and Pope.' The Eighteenth Century