The Things That Matter

by MENDELSON, EDWARD

• ISBN13: 9780375424083
• ISBN10: 0375424083
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-08-15
• Publisher: Pantheon

Summary

An illuminating exploration of how seven of the greatest English novels of the nineteenth and twentieth centuriesFrankenstein, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Middlemarch, Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse,andBetween the Actsportray the essential experiences of life. For Edward Mendelsona professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia Universitythese classic novels tell life stories that are valuable to readers who are thinking about the course of their own lives. Looking beyond theories to the individual intentions of the authors and taking into consideration their lives and times, Mendelson examines the sometimes contradictory ways in which the novels portray such major passages of life as love, marriage, and parenthood. InFrankenstein's story of a new life, we see a searing representation of emotional neglect. InWuthering HeightsandJane Eyrethe transition from childhood to adulthood is portrayed in vastly different ways even though the sisters who wrote the books shared the same isolated life. InMrs. Dallowaywe see an ideal and almost impossible adult love. Mendelson leads us to a fresh and fascinating new understanding of each of the seven novels, reminding usin the most captivating waywhy they matter. The Things That Matteris a book that will delight all passionate readers. From the Hardcover edition.

Author Biography

Edward Mendelson is a professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University. He is the literary executor of W. H. Auden’s estate and the editor of Auden’s complete works. Among his previous books are Early Auden, Later Auden, and editions of novels by Anthony Trollope, George Meredith, Thomas Hardy, H. G. Wells, and Arnold Bennett. He lives in New York City with his wife and son.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. xi
Birth: Frankenstein	p. 3
Childhood: Wuthering Heights	p. 47
Growth: Jane Eyre	p. 79
Marriage: Middlemarch	p. 115
Love: Mrs. Dalloway	p. 160
Parenthood: To the Lighthouse	p. 204
The Future: Between the Acts	p. 227
Notes on the Novelists	p. 241
Further Reading	p. 243
Acknowledgments	p. 249
Index	p. 251
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