PBC: The 19th Century Illustrated Novel (Lecture Slides)

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The Illustrated novel can be split into 3 sections:

(1) Illustration and book history

(2) The Victorian illustrated novel

(3) The relationship between word and image in the Victorian illustrated novel

Illustration and Book History:

Some contemporaries believed that the illustrated novel was becoming too popular during the 19th century, and was overshadowing other aspects of print culture. Books with too many images were sometimes termed as 'sensuous' literature, as it was highly visual, frequently 'overshadowing' the text itself. This was particularly important, as many believed that by including images, the reader would be forced to interpret and respond to the text differently.

This raised the important question: do images support or dominate a text? - ''tension between word and image''.

Contemporary readers and critics during the 19th century were very conscious of how these new illustrated novels were affecting our relationship with literature.

The 19th Century is sometimes called the ''golden age of illustration'', and the ''second industrial revolution of the printed word''. Both of these terms point to the enormous technological advancements being made in terms of print and production methods during this era. Methods of printing such as metal engraving and lithography enabled images to be mass produced cheaply and efficiently, whilst improving the overall quality and accuracy of an image.

Illustrators were typically highly skilled and specialized in a specific genre or type of illustration. They were an integral part of 19th-century print culture and were heavily involved in the production process. However, despite their skill, they were rarely credited for their works. It was commonly accepted that the author of the novel was superior to the novel's illustrator, despite the two working closely together to produce the final product.

''The Illustration Revolution'' by Michael Twyman, discusses the importance of illustrations and images in written texts. He argues that illustration is an important aspect of 19th-century culture, as it was involved in documenting new ideas and discoveries regarding empire, science, and commerce that would simply not have been adequately represented by the written word alone. Scientific journals, for example, required detailed illustrations of specimens and discoveries in order to flourish and communicate new ideas with audiences.

Modern editions of classic books are typically not illustrated (such as Jane Eyre), as illustration is now only typically reserved for children's literature. The subject of illustration as an important aspect of literature is also a relatively new phenomenon, and there are few critical resources available which discuss it at length. This lack of bibliographic consistency has led to the widespread misconception that illustration is inferior to the written word, despite…

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