Abstract
This essay examines a neglected biographical sub-genre—collective "eccentric biography"—in its Victorian form. It contextualizes the genre by outlining its early-modern origins in character books and collections of wonders, and by relating Victorian versions to a wider press and public interest in eccentrics. The essay addresses readership, critical reception, publishing history, and the relationship of eccentric biography to the poetry of William Wordsworth, and to the fiction of Walter Scott and Charles Dickens, as well as reasons for the absence of new collections after the 1860s.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 342-376 |
| Number of pages | 0 |
| Journal | Biography. An Interdisciplinary Quarterly |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Keywords
- eccentricity and British culture
- Charles Dickens
- John Timbs
- eccentric biography