Victorians! discussion

Please post your nominations here. One nomination per person and per author.
Nomination thread will be up for one week or when we reach eight nominations. If possible, please include the link to the book you've nominated.

Eligible nominations should be written and published in Great Britain between 1837 and 1901.

Link to Titles Read within 3 years:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Trollope - The Duke's Children.

i nominate Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
Published 1876 pages 796.

I nominate
Ana Karenina-Leo Tolstoy

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Gabriela wrote: "I nominate
Ana Karenina-Leo Tolstoy

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1..."

Written and published in GB? ;)

I nominate The Half Sisters by Geraldine Jewsbury. Publ. 1848. 448 pages.

This radical novel contrasts the lives of two women in Victorian England. The illegitimate Bianca contends with poverty and prejudice to attain eminence and respectability as an actress. Her legitimate half sister, Alice, finds herself unhappily married, trapped in the dreary and philistine existence endured by numerous middle-class wives of her time. Each has to confront the implications of passion in a woman's life, with surprising results that challenged contemporary orthodoxy. Now back in print for the first time in over a century, this poignant work addresses the damaging effects of conventional Victorian beliefs about women.

Free copies are available here:
https://www.ebooksread.com/authors-en...

I nominate The Egoist by George Meredith.
Publ. 1879, 608 pages.

I nominate Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins, published in 1870.

From Wikipedia:
"Man and Wife was Wilkie Collins's ninth published novel. It is the second of his novels (after No Name) in which social questions provide the main impetus of the plot. Collins increasingly used his novels to explore social abuses, which according to critics tends to detract from their qualities as fiction. The social issue which drives the plot is the state of Scots marriage law; at the time the novel was written, any couple who were legally entitled to marry and who asserted that they were married, either before witnesses or in writing, were regarded in Scotland as being legally married."

I nominate Tess of the d'ubervilles by Thomas Hardy.

I nominate The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, published in 1895.

I nominate The Semi-Detached House by Emily Eden published in 1859.

I would like to nominate The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

Doing some research on its initial publication, it looks like it first appeared as a serial in both an American and British magazine in 1880-1881, then later published in book form in Boston. So, I am hoping this meets the standard of a British publication.

**Edited to add this excerpt from https://portraitofalady.la.psu.edu/ma...**
"The Portrait of a Lady first appeared as serialized installments in Macmillan’s Magazine, running from October 1880 until November 1881. Prior publication in Great Britain was essential in order for James to retain his English copyright. Serialization in the Atlantic Monthly followed after a one-month delay (November 1880 through December 1881)."

Goodreads description of book:
"When Isabel Archer, a beautiful, spirited American, is brought to Europe by her wealthy Aunt Touchett, it is expected that she will soon marry. But Isabel, resolved to determine her own fate, does not hesitate to turn down two eligible suitors. She then finds herself irresistibly drawn to Gilbert Osmond, who, beneath his veneer of charm and cultivation, is cruelty itself. A story of intense poignancy, Isabel's tale of love and betrayal still resonates with modern audiences."

I have been wanting to read Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim for years. I'm not 100% sure that it qualifies-- von Arnim is described as an Australian-born British writer, and the book was published in 1898, so it gets in under the 1901 wire.

If it qualifies, I definitely think it blanket worthy and would like to nominate it.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

If there's room for another nomination, I thoughtyhis would be something different. It'swritten by 24 different authors,
each one writing a chapter and then passing it to the next. The Fate of Fenella

Eligible nominations should be written and published in Great Britain between 1837 and 1901.

Tolstoy and James are not British authors. You are welcome to nominate something else.

Jane wrote: "I have been wanting to read Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim for years. I'm not 100% sure that it qualifies-- von Arnim is described as an Australian-born British writer, and ..."

I think we did The Enchanted April a while back but I’ll double check.

ConnieD wrote: "If there's room for another nomination, I thoughtyhis would be something different. It'swritten by 24 different authors,
each one writing a chapter and then passing it to the next. [book:The Fate ..."
I don’t know anything about this one but I’ll check it out. Looks like a hoot!

So far eligible nominations include...

The Duke's Children Trollope
Daniel Deronda Eliot
The Half Sisters Jewsbury
The Egoist Meredith
Tess of the D'Urbervilles Hardy
Man and Wife Collins
The Semi-Detached House Eden
The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays Wilde
Elizabeth and Her German Garden von Arnim
The Fate of Fenella by Various

Oh my, I have no idea which one to choose!

I would like to second The Importance of Being Ernest and Other Plays. :) Am I allowed to second another book?

I would like to nominate East Lynne by Ellen Wood.

Sorry, Marianna. I think it’s a little early for East Lynne.

We have ten eligible titles so I’m going to set up the poll. Voting will be open for one week.

Link to Poll...
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/2...