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A review by andershanson
New Grub Street by George Gissing, John Goode
2.0
George Gissing's New Grub Street is about the trials and tribulations of a group of interlinked writers - some by blood and others by friendship or professional connection - in the late 19th century. Although Gissing is little known today, he is well regarded as a writer and has a number of books to his name.
This book was interesting in that it gave a real insight in to a profession at a time of great change. A profession in the process of modernising but also a tension between intellectual purity or populism. A tension in writing that hasn't really gone away. What it also has in its favour is a strong sense of place, giving a real feel for a very defined part of London - essentially from Camden south to Trafalgar Square. Virtually all of the places mentioned in the book exist and much of the narrative is moved on through people walking from one place to another. It is very much a London book, which is interesting as the reason I came across Gissing and then this book was after reading an article about his birthplace of Wakefield. One benefit of this particular edition of the book (Oxford World Classic) is the notes towards the rear, which helped me learn a great deal about the origin of certain phrases that I would not have known otherwise.
Despite these positive aspects to New Grub Street, I just couldn't love it. There weren't any characters in it that I liked or really cared about, and even those you think are the 'good guys' end up as selfish or self-aggrandising. There's also a snobbery towards people who are less 'cultured' or intellectual, and a streak of sexism that runs through the book (admittedly not something unusual at that time), although the latter is tempered by the way it covers many of the new rights that women had fairly recently gained in respect of property and money.
In summary, if you have a particular interest in the period or the development of writing and literature then I would recommend it. But as a passing reader, who doesn't feel that commitment there's other more interesting books out there.
This book was interesting in that it gave a real insight in to a profession at a time of great change. A profession in the process of modernising but also a tension between intellectual purity or populism. A tension in writing that hasn't really gone away. What it also has in its favour is a strong sense of place, giving a real feel for a very defined part of London - essentially from Camden south to Trafalgar Square. Virtually all of the places mentioned in the book exist and much of the narrative is moved on through people walking from one place to another. It is very much a London book, which is interesting as the reason I came across Gissing and then this book was after reading an article about his birthplace of Wakefield. One benefit of this particular edition of the book (Oxford World Classic) is the notes towards the rear, which helped me learn a great deal about the origin of certain phrases that I would not have known otherwise.
Despite these positive aspects to New Grub Street, I just couldn't love it. There weren't any characters in it that I liked or really cared about, and even those you think are the 'good guys' end up as selfish or self-aggrandising. There's also a snobbery towards people who are less 'cultured' or intellectual, and a streak of sexism that runs through the book (admittedly not something unusual at that time), although the latter is tempered by the way it covers many of the new rights that women had fairly recently gained in respect of property and money.
In summary, if you have a particular interest in the period or the development of writing and literature then I would recommend it. But as a passing reader, who doesn't feel that commitment there's other more interesting books out there.