The English Novel and the Principle of its Development

Public lectures at Johns Hopkins University in 1881 provide the starting point for Sidney Lanier's study of the English novel. He approaches fiction as an art with its own forms and as a force that shapes readers' habits, judgments and relations with other people. His opening argument links the growth of the novel to an increasing recognition of individual personality, then proposes to test that idea through readings of major English writers.

The discussion moves between broad claims about literature and particular cases of authorship. In the section on George Eliot, Lanier recounts the public confusion over her identity, including the claims made for Mr. Liggins, before turning to Marian Evans and her Warwickshire background. Readers interested in literary criticism can follow how Lanier connects personal identity, moral responsibility and the popularity of fiction. The lecture format also preserves his direct address to an audience and his habit of explaining abstract ideas through examples.