The Novel

Desire and Domestic Fiction: A political history of the novel by Nancy Armstrong (Oxford University Press, 1990)
Discusses the appearance of the novel and the causal relationship between domestic fiction in the 18th and 19th century and the rise of the middle classes. Buy this book from Amazon

Gender in Eighteenth-Century England: Roles, representations, and responsibilities edited by Hannah Barker and Elaine Chalus (Longman, 1997).
Examines the public and private lives of men and women in the 18th century via extensive historical research and a collection of thought-provoking essays. Buy this book from Amazon

Daniel Defoe: Master of fictions: His life and works by Maximillian E Novak (Oxford University Press, 2003)
Examines the life and works of Defoe from a modern perspective, discussing his important role in the development of the novel. Buy this book from Amazon

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (Penguin books, 2003)
Regarded as the first English novel, this enduring story was the springboard for the literary explosion of the form in the 18th century. Buy this book from Amazon

Foe by JM Coetzee (Penguin books, 1987)
A modern retelling of Defoe's classic novel Robinson Crusoe, where a woman finds herself marooned on an island in the Atlantic with an Englishman and his mute slave, Friday. When she is rescued, she approaches the author Daniel Foe, offering him the story. Buy this book from Amazon

Authors in Context: Charles Dickens by Andrew Sanders (Oxford University Press, 2003)
Examines the work of Charles Dickens in relation to his time and the present-day. The Authors in Context series features many other influential novelists, including Thomas Hardy. Buy this book from Amazon

The Victorians by AN Wilson (Hutchinson, 2002)
Wilson, an Evening Standard columnist, novelist, and polemical biographer, discusses the Victorians – and leaves no stone unturned. He has an eye for colourful detail and, among other things, discusses their sexual proclivities, religious hypocrisies and economic and imperial appetites in addition to their literary legacy. Buy this book from Amazon

Romantic Victorians: English literature, 1824-1840 by Richard Cronin (Palgrave Macmillan, 2001)
Examines 19th century literature and culture, touching on many authors of the time. Buy this book from Amazon

The Oxford History of the British Empire: The 19th Century (Oxford History of the British Empire) edited by Andrew Porter (Oxford University Press, 2001)
An enlightening look at the British Empire, discussing the cultural changes that were so important for the rise of the great English novel. Buy this book from Amazon

The Gothic Tradition by David Stevens (Cambridge University Press, 2000)
Aims to assist the reader to understand the gothic novel in context with the social and cultural era that produced it. Buy this book from Amazon

The Age of Improvement, 1783-1867 by Asa Briggs (Longman, 1999)
Discusses the economic, social, historical and literary movements of the 19th century. Buy this book from Amazon

The English Novel in History 1895-1920 by David Trotter (Routledge, 1993)
A comprehensive introduction to early 20th century fiction. Buy this book from Amazon

Literature in the Modern World: Critical essays and documents edited by Dennis Walder (Oxford University Press, 1990)
This book of essays focuses on the period between the 1920s and the 1980s, covering a wide range of issues. Buy this book from Amazon

Ulysses by James Joyce (Penguin, 2000)
Joyce's classic novel manipulates the English language like no novel before it. Not always an easy read, but an enjoyable and fulfilling one. Buy this book from Amazon

The Modernist Masters: Studies in the novel (Studies in Comparative Literature) by Morton P Levitt (Edwin Mellen Press, 2002)
Critical discussion of the modernist masters of the 20th century. Buy this book from Amazon

American Prose and Poetry in the 20th Century by Caroline Zilboorg (Cambridge University Press, 2000)
Discusses the rise of the American novelists and poets of the last century and their influence of the global scene. Buy this book from Amazon