Twayne's English authors series,

Critical-analytical study.

Robert Browning Revisited is an accessible and up-to-date analysis of Browning's entire poetic career. Presenting a detailed account of Browning's crucial engagement with the Romantics, especially Percy Bysshe Shelley, and his poetic development through The Ring and the Book, author Adam Roberts attempts to make good the critical neglect suffered by the work produced after 1869, giving fresh, innovative readings of the late lyrics, dramatic monologues, and long narrative poems. Roberts writes that "only with a complete sense of Browning's whole career can a student fully come to terms with the enormity of his contribution to modern literature.". This comprehensive study is arranged chronologically, covering the three main creative periods of Browning's life: the early phase (1833-1845), a middle phase of married life (1846-1861), and the final phase of tremendous productivity (1861-1889). Framing his analyses generally around the dialectic between Romantic subjectivity and Victorian objectivity that drives Browning's strongest work, Roberts bolsters his critical arguments with relevant biographical and historical information, presents new readings while honoring others that have stood the test of time, and provides a select bibliography giving a richly detailed survey of the history of Browning criticism. This introductory monograph gives the general reader and student alike a well-balanced examination of one of the most highly acclaimed Victorian poets.

John Davys Beresford, a prolific and innovative writer, was heralded in his time for his intelligence and imagination and was considered one of the finest novelists of his generation. George Johnson seeks to redress the unjust neglect of this important figure of the Georgian period. Johnson's unabashed esteem for Beresford the man and discerning admiration of Beresford's work endow this study with a depth and a vitality that bring his subject to life. Beresford was the author of forty-nine novels, five collections of short stories, nine autobiographical and miscellaneous books, and dozens of shorter pieces all of which crossed many genres and subgenres. Johnson has addressed this voluminous body of work by genre, devoting a chapter to each of the major subjects Beresford explored - psychological realism, psychoanalysis and mysticism, scientific romance, and speculative fiction. Beresford is of interest not only for his role as an innovator of the psychological novel but for his place in the literary history of the period. He was a friend and intellectual peer of such important writers as D. H. Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield, John Cowper Powys, John Middleton Murry, and Walter de la Mare. Johnson's examination of Beresford's life benefits from his access to Beresford's unpublished autobiography; the memoir of Beresford's oldest son, Tristram; and Beresford's correspondence with his literary friends. The introduction of these materials, which have only recently been made available, allows for the most comprehensive study of Beresford's life and work to date.

Hugh Lofting (1886-1947) is best known for his classic series of children's books depicting Doctor Dolittle - the kindhearted, eccentric veterinarian whose ability to converse with animals and whose astounding travels with a cadre of critters have delighted readers for more than 70 years. Beginning with The Story of Doctor Dolittle in 1920, Lofting went on to write eleven other Dolittle books, among them the Newbery Medal-winning The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle. While critics have praised the Dolittle books for their humor, wit, and imagination, and while the Dolittle character has captivated audiences in screen and stage adaptations, Lofting's larger message - one concerning issues of peace and justice - has often been overlooked. That Lofting's work deserves reconsideration is the thesis of this new study by Gary D. Schmidt. Drawing on not only extensive research but also numerous personal communications with Lofting's family members, Schmidt provides fresh insights into his subject's life and work. In clear, engaging prose Schmidt argues that Lofting viewed his writing as a political and moral task: to encourage peace by providing children with examples of kindness, gentleness, compassion, and tolerance. In an illuminating first chapter readers learn intriguing biographical information - for instance, that The Story of Doctor Dolittle, perhaps Lofting's greatest work, had its beginnings in a series of story-letters that Lofting, writing from the trenches of World War I, sent home to his children. Subsequent chapters examine each of the Dolittle books, as well as Lofting's lesser-known works, among them the essay "Children and Internationalism" and the long poem Victory for the Slain. An important addition to existing studies in children's literature, Hugh Lofting will appeal to scholars, students, and general readers alike. Included are a preface, chronology, notes, bibliography, and index, as well as illustrations.