An Annotated Bibliography of the Early English Novel (1700 - 1740)

Research poject P 13465 Bibliography of the English Novel (1700 - 1740) Holger M. KLEIN 11.10.1999 The aims of my proposed research would be twofold. 1) The first would be to explore and collate the early English novel as held in university and college libraries. This would involve investigating the original editions and compiling a full bibliographical record (also indicating any modern reprint which might be available in the libraries). The field to be covered would be 1700-1740. from early prose fiction in Queen Anne`s reign, to the first major efflorescence of the "classic" English novel in Richardson`s Pamela (1740). Some of the major authors (among others) are: 2 Early Eighteenth-Century fiction. a) original works: Aubin, Barker, Berington, Blackmore. Chetwood, Davys, Defoe, Gildon, Hamilton, Haywood, Hearne, Longueville, Lyttleton, Madden, Manleyl, Oldmixon, Rowe, Russen, Smith (Alexander), Thelobald, Ward. b) translated and adapted works: Bordelqn, Boursault, Bussy-Rabutin, Crdbillon, Destontaines, DuNoyer, Galland, Gomez, Gueulette, La Chapelle, Le Noble Tennelière, Lesage, Marivaux, Montesquieu, Perrault, Péitis de la Croix, Pöllnitz, Prévost, Renneville, Segrais, Tencin, Tyssot de Patot. Such a catalogue could serve an extremely useful purpose in making immediately available to student and researcher a listing of original and translated works which together constitute the early history of prose fiction in English. The English novel did not begin with either Deroe or Richardson. but existed, most vibrantly, in less developed and various forms for over one and a half centuries prior to the appearance of their universally popular works (Robinson Crusoe and Clarissa). The whole area of the early English novel is increasingly the focus of exploratory interest in recent years. Prof. James Harner has produced his English Renaissance prose fiction (1560-1660): an annotated bibliography of criticism (Boston, 1985-9, 3 vols) while the Salzburg Centre for Research in Early English Fiction (SCREEN) is in the process of collating a massive data-bank of materials in this sphere. I have been working for SCREEN since 1992, my own contribution being the preparation of two bibliographical studies. The first The English novel from the Restoration to the French Revolution: a checklist of soured and critical materials, with special reference to the period 1660-1740 (Salzburg/Lewiston/Lampeter, 1995) sought to prepare the bibliographical background for an exploration of the fiction of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. My more recent work focuses on the period 1660-1700: An annotated bibliography of the English novel (1660-1700). This is a detailed investigation of the late seventeenth century and tis fiction, examining all the available studies pertinent to the development of English prose fiction in this period, both in general and particular areas. Establishing the accessibility of any text (particularly its availability in the Cambridge libraries) has been a central feature of this work. The text is currently being prepared for publication. In both these works I have sought to further the pioneering bibliographical endeavours of Prof. Harner. 2) The second aspect of my proposed research would be a continuation of Harner`s and my own investigation into the background and criticism of the early novel, extending the annotated bibliographical survey into the early eighteenth century (1700-40).