As a literary genre, the sentimental novel reached the height of its vogue in the 1770s and 1780s and was still popular as the eighteenth century drew to a close. This volume presents a comprehensive exploration of the sentimental novel in the eighteenth century, beginning with its origins in the so-called amatory fiction of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Chapters from leading scholars combine the various aspects and contexts of the genre, from politics, slavery, women writers, and the Gothic to the sentimental novel in America, France and Germany, with historically informed close readings of novels by writers including Samuel Richardson (1689–1761), Laurence Sterne (1713–68) and Jane Austen (1775–1817). This volume demonstrates that the sentimental novel continues to engage readers and critics and that, far from being obsolete or only of antiquary interest, it remains a vibrant and exciting area of study.

‘… this collection is well worth having on one’s shelf, offering as it does much to both new and established scholars concerning the long history, complex aesthetics, and ambivalent politics of the sentimental narrative mode. So much has been written over the past few decades on the sentimental novel in English that it would be reasonable to think little new could be added and yet this coherent collection produced by scholars at the top of their game offers fresh perspectives, often eloquent readings, and a lot for the rest of us to build on.’

Stephen Ahern Source: Project Muse

'… impressive and informative …'

Colette Davies and Ruby Hawley-Sibbett Source: TYWES

‘This collection is a thoughtful and comprehensive extension of the scholarship, as it not only brings together various strands of criticism but also builds on them in imaginative ways. Rivero asserts that 'far from being obsolete or only of antiquary interest, the sentimental novel remains a vibrant and exciting area of study.' The strength of this enterprising collection proves Rivero’s claim, and scholars will no doubt turn to this volume to enrich future studies of the sentimental novel.’

Philip Trotter Source: The Scriblerian and the Kit-Cats