Description
'… the cultural impact of eavesdropping on notions of space, identity and reading are well articulated and ultimately convincing. Gayling's scholarship provides yet another focus for the study of nineteenth century literature and culture and critics will find value in her novel approach to a phenomenon that resonates as much in the contemporary world as it did over a century ago.' English
'… surprises by the abundance of its examples and frequently impresses by the cogency of its analysis …' Modernism/Modernity
'… surprises by the abundance of its examples and frequently impresses by the cogency of its analysis …' Modernism/Modernity
Présentation de l'éditeur
This study investigates human curiosity and its depiction in eavesdropping scenes in nineteenth-century English and French novels. Ann Gaylin sheds light on the social and psychological effects of the nineteenth-century rise of information technology and accelerated flow of information, as manifested in the anxieties about (and delight in) displays of private life and its secrets. She analyzes eavesdropping in Austen, Balzac, Collins, and Proust. This innovative study is of interest to scholars of nineteenth-century English and European literature.
