Bibliography, News, and Notes

Why end this "transitional" period at about 1920? Partly because many of the writers who had given it its impulse ceased to dominate the literature of the time. One can certainly say this of Gissing and Butler, who were dead and whose influence had been absorbed and was spending itself. One can say this of Wells, Galsworthy, and Bennett, who, at least in the reports of serious critics, were no longer recognized as the vital forces in 20th century English fiction. One can say this of such "younger generation" men as Beresford, Cannan, W. L. George, Mackenzie, and Swinnerton, who had not fulfilled the promise, as the saying goes, of perhaps replacing Wells, Bennett, and Galsworthy as the leaders of the "new" literature. And, lastly, we end this transitional period at about 1920 because most serious critics have chosen to regard the work of James Joyce, D. H. Lawrence, and Virginia Woolf as the new or the modern expression of the artistic vision. With this we do not necessarily quarrel. We do quarrel with the tendency to send many fine writers to pasture because they do not seem to lend themselves readily to the myth and symbol-explication emphasis of much recent criticism. We shall be concerned with writers who in their time were generally regarded as in some way "un-Victorian" and who, relative to Joyce, Lawrence and Virginia Woolf, are now often regarded as a little oldfashioned . The meeting at Madison in September and my correspondence with many scholars interested in the late Victorian and the early modern fiction in England indicate that an independent conference and this newsletter are needed and welcome. In any event, this short note will, I hope, be the only time I shall feel compelled to set forth a rationale for our existence. Hereafter, the vigor with which we pursue our studies and the quality of the contributions to the newsletter and to the discussions at the conference will be all the excuse we shall need for our existence. BIBLIOGRAPHY, NEWS, AND NOTES Like most bibliographies covering many writers, this one must be selective. It has been compiled by the editor with the aid of others whose names are mentioned under the authors on whom they submitted lists or notes. In the present issue not nearly so much annotation as I would eventually like to include has been possible; in several instances a short evaluative headnote substitutes for annotations of individual items. All the writers in whom we would like to stimulate interest are listed, even though not a single article that warrants listing has appeared for some, I hope that such blanks will induce the readers of the newsletter to correct the injustice done these authors. Generally, my policy in preparing these lists has been to emphasize writings about a particular writer since the most recent bibliography or the most recent biography making use of older materials has appeared, In this issue, I have, wherever possible, referred to the standard editions, collected editions, the best bibliographies and biographies, and the most outstanding critical studies. When these works are superseded or significantly supplemented, I shall note the fact. In future issues I shall with the help of others publish thorough checklists on selected authors, In fact, in the Spring-Summer, 1958, issue, I plan to print such checklists of writings about Ford Madox Ford and John Galsworthy, I welcome suggestions for similar checklists on other authors. To compile the present list I have had the aid of experts on individual authors, and I have, of course, relied on the major bibliographical reference works. Among these, I must especially note a few without which researchers in the late Victorian and early modern field would be seriously handicapped: PMLA, Modern Philology, Bulletin of Bibliography, Twentieth Century Literature, Victorian Newsletter. Modern Fiction Studies. Explicator, JEGP, and the beautifully made first issue of Victorian Studies, In addition, I have searched recent issues of some thirty periodicals, examined some seventy-five general books published during the last two or three years, and borrowed heavily from the very good card file of the Modern Fiction Studies staff, for the use of which thanks are due to Maurice Beebe, ARNOLD...