Description

Discover everything you ever wanted to know about the worlds greatest novels

From medieval romances and tales of chivalry through the realist novels of the 19th century to experimental modernist works and todays explorations of the self Great Novels explores the finest novels from around the world and through time

Tilt at windmills with Don Quixote experience heartbreak with Tolstoy discover the society in which Jane Austen lived and delve into the complex rites of passage experienced by characters in modern novels Find out what inspired writers to create their masterpieces what their aims were and how they set about writing them

Organised chronologically and covering the whole range of literary styles Great Novels takes you into the pages of the worlds seminal novels ranging from the entertaining adventures of Cervantes errant knight through classics such as Great Expectations and Madame Bovary to modern novels such as To the Lighthouse The Outsider Beloved and Wolf Hall Stunning images of the original manuscripts first editions and authors are complemented by extracts and quotations while illustrated features set the novels in their literary and historical context

Essential for everyone who loves books Great Novels provides a fascinating overview of how the genre has developed through the ages and celebrates the perennial lifeaffirming pleasures of reading