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Not Wisely but Too Well (1867)

by Rhoda Broughton

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341708,031 (3.2)4
"The most thoroughly sensual tale I have read in English for a long time," complained Geraldine Jewsbury in her reader's report on Rhoda Broughton's Not Wisely, but Too Well (1867). Initially serialised in The Dublin University Magazine, the novel had been brought to the attention of the publisher Bentley and Son by its editor, J S Le Fanu, who also happened to be Broughton's uncle. Although Jewsbury convinced Bentley that this novel was unsuitable for "decent people," she succeeded only in delaying its publication, as Broughton instead struck a deal with their rival, Tinsley Brothers. While Broughton ultimately triumphed, she was obliged to make extensive revisions, promising to "expunge it of coarseness and slanginess, & to rewrite those passages which cannot be toned down." Jewsbury's moral squeamishness was not shared by the reading public, who were thrilled by Broughton's vivid depiction of Kate Chester teetering on the brink of an adulterous liaison with the solipsistic and haughty Dare Stamer. Notwithstanding the extensive editorial changes, Broughton's novel remains a pioneering portrayal of female sexuality, or what Jewsbury called "highly coloured & hot blooded passion." Reproducing the text of its first appearance in volume form, this new edition of Not Wisely, but Too Well illuminates the novel's ideological and aesthetic complexity through appendices related to its publication history, revision, and reception. These appendices include a section containing Jewsbury's reader's report and Broughton and Le Fanu's correspondence with the Bentleys, a list of variants between serial and volume formats of the novel, and a selection of contemporary reviews. Together these materials provide a fascinating case study of the coming to print, and reception, of a controversial Victorian text, while also attesting to the challenges Broughton faced in representing female desire in her early fiction. This completely reset critical edition includes: * Introduction by Tamar Heller * Explanatory footnotes * Rhoda Broughton chronology * Select bibliography * Correspondence from the Bentley Archives relating to Not Wisely, but Too Well * Textual variants between the serialised and three-decker versions, including the original ending * Selection of contemporary reviews and responses.… (more)
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» See also 4 mentions

This is the first of Rhoda Broughton's books, written when she was in her early 20s - and it is a very youthful book. There is an occasionally interventionist narrator, quoting Latin and Greek to appear old and wise; doomed romance with a mad, bad and dangerous to know hero, who I'm sure must twirl his moustaches; plenty of mid Victorian deathbeds, repentance and sinning; holy clergymen; renunciation, suffering and self-denial, alongside lush descriptions of passion, blossoming country walks, the sea - and of course the heroine, bewitching and coquettish, with fabulous hair, and of course doomed to be beaten down into virtuous submission. Rhoda Broughton is a lively and a funny writer - her comedy is sharp and trenchant; her romance full blooded, and her pious endings laid on with a trowel.
  otterley | Feb 11, 2012 |
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Rhoda Broughtonprimary authorall editionscalculated
King, FrancisIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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"The most thoroughly sensual tale I have read in English for a long time," complained Geraldine Jewsbury in her reader's report on Rhoda Broughton's Not Wisely, but Too Well (1867). Initially serialised in The Dublin University Magazine, the novel had been brought to the attention of the publisher Bentley and Son by its editor, J S Le Fanu, who also happened to be Broughton's uncle. Although Jewsbury convinced Bentley that this novel was unsuitable for "decent people," she succeeded only in delaying its publication, as Broughton instead struck a deal with their rival, Tinsley Brothers. While Broughton ultimately triumphed, she was obliged to make extensive revisions, promising to "expunge it of coarseness and slanginess, & to rewrite those passages which cannot be toned down." Jewsbury's moral squeamishness was not shared by the reading public, who were thrilled by Broughton's vivid depiction of Kate Chester teetering on the brink of an adulterous liaison with the solipsistic and haughty Dare Stamer. Notwithstanding the extensive editorial changes, Broughton's novel remains a pioneering portrayal of female sexuality, or what Jewsbury called "highly coloured & hot blooded passion." Reproducing the text of its first appearance in volume form, this new edition of Not Wisely, but Too Well illuminates the novel's ideological and aesthetic complexity through appendices related to its publication history, revision, and reception. These appendices include a section containing Jewsbury's reader's report and Broughton and Le Fanu's correspondence with the Bentleys, a list of variants between serial and volume formats of the novel, and a selection of contemporary reviews. Together these materials provide a fascinating case study of the coming to print, and reception, of a controversial Victorian text, while also attesting to the challenges Broughton faced in representing female desire in her early fiction. This completely reset critical edition includes: * Introduction by Tamar Heller * Explanatory footnotes * Rhoda Broughton chronology * Select bibliography * Correspondence from the Bentley Archives relating to Not Wisely, but Too Well * Textual variants between the serialised and three-decker versions, including the original ending * Selection of contemporary reviews and responses.

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