The Cambridge Companion to the Literature of London

London has provided the setting and inspiration for a host of literary works in English, from canonical masterpieces to the popular and ephemeral. Drawing upon a variety of methods and materials, the essays in this volume explore the London of Langland and the Peasants' Rebellion, of Shakespeare and the Elizabethan stage, of Pepys and the Restoration coffee house, of Dickens and Victorian wealth and poverty, of Conrad and the Empire, of Woolf and the wartime Blitz, of Naipaul and postcolonial immigration, and of contemporary globalism. Contributions from historians, art historians, theorists and media specialists as well as leading literary scholars exemplify current approaches to genre, gender studies, book history, performance studies and urban studies. In showing how the tradition of English literature is shaped by representations of London, this volume also illuminates the relationship between the literary imagination and the society of one of the world's greatest cities.

Reviews:

'A magnificent force for good when it comes to challenging assumptions … The long view provided by the Cambridge Companion is its greatest strength. More than any dry history book, this collection of thoughts and reflections - not to mention directions new and old to follow in your London reading life - is like a history lesson taken while walking with the likes of Dickens, Gissing and Pope as tour guides.' Time Out

'The authors take us effortlessly, in a broadly chronological sequence, from Chaucer's Southwark to Zadie Smith's Willesden in a fascinating journey through the works of many famous authors and some who are forgotten or unknown … The scholarship is of a high order … written in a friendly style that should engage any reader with an interest in London's rich literary history.' Times Higher Education

'The 15 contributors to this volume take us effortlessly, in a broad chronological sequence,from Chaucer's Southwark to Zadie Smith's Willesden through the works of many authors … This book's scholarship is of a high order but it is written in a friendly style, which should engage any reader with an interest in London's literary history.' The Independent