George Gissing

George Gissing's "New Grub Street" offers a compelling glimpse into the Victorian-era literary world. Set in London, the novel delves into the lives of writers navigating the challenges and precariousness of the publishing industry. A work of literary fiction with sharp social commentary, "New Grub Street" paints a vivid picture of the struggles faced by authors. Gissing masterfully explores the themes of ambition, poverty, and the compromises individuals make in pursuit of their artistic dreams. As a classic of English literature, it provides a fascinating perspective on the social and economic realities of Victorian England, making it a relevant read for anyone interested in the history of authorship, the publishing world, or the enduring power of social observation through fiction. This meticulously prepared print edition preserves the historical integrity of Gissing's powerful narrative.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

When their father’s death leaves them with no money and a dim future, the Madden sisters, Alice, Virginia, and Monica, must negotiate the gender roles and class constraints of 1890s Victorian London. Virginia and Alice have aged out of the possibility of marriage and seemingly the idea of love itself. They find themselves with few prospects and little hope. Remaindered in the marriage equation, these “odd women” face a great deal of scrutiny, stigma, and social pressure—it’s at this time that Rhoda Nunn, childhood friend to the Madden sisters, arrives in London to challenge accepted norms and mores around the role of women in society. Rhoda’s strong feminist passion draws a sharp contrast to the middle-class respectability of the Madden sisters’ upbring, as the sisters watch a new world emerge around them. Hailed as a prescient and boldly political novel of the early feminist movement, Gissing’s The Odd Women captures the absurdity, brutality, and even comedy of Victorian attitudes around the brilliant women who dared to be odd by conceiving of their role in society beyond their value as wives.

In late-Victorian London, two writers of radically different temperaments pursue contrasting approaches to the literary life. The first, the talented and cerebral novelist Edwin Reardon, appears to be doomed by his idealistic nature to a life of impecuniousness, whereas the second, the driven but cynical journalist Jasper Milvain, continually reaps the material rewards of a career devoted to market-driven hack writing. When Reardon’s intransigent sense of artistic integrity leads to the breakdown of his marriage, he begins to learn the true cost of his commitment to elevated principles and his refusal to pander to the demands of the marketplace, as the fates of the two rivals become ever more intertwined.Published in 1891, and described by Orwell as “Gissing’s masterpiece”, New Grub Street is a powerful, haunting exploration of the plight of the professional writer in a philistine age, and of the perennial dichotomy between literary merit and commercial success.

George Robert Gissing (22 November 1857 - 28 December 1903) was a British novelist who published 23 novels between 1880 and 1903. Gissing also worked as a teacher and tutor throughout his life. He published his first novel, Workers in the Dawn, in 1880. His best-known novels, which are published in modern editions, include The Nether World (1889), New Grub Street (1891) and The Odd Women (1893).