Great Novels: The World's Most Remarkable Fiction Explored and Explained

From medieval romances and tales of chivalry found in the realist novels of the 19th century, to experimental modernist works and today's explorations of the self, Great Novels explores the finest novels from around the world and through time. Tilt at windmills with Don Quixote, experience heartbreak with Tolstoy, discover the society in which Jane Austen lived, and delve into the complex rites of passage experienced by characters in modern novels.

Find out what inspired writers to create their masterpieces, what their aims were, and how they set about writing them. Dive deep into the pages of this inspiring book to discover:- Paintings, photographs, and artefacts that tell the story of each novel and what inspired their authors- Superb images of first editions and manuscripts- The flavor of each novel through quotations and extended extracts - "Character maps" showing how characters relate to each other Covering the whole range of literary styles, Great Novels takes you into the pages of the world's seminal novels, ranging from the entertaining adventures of Cervantes' errant knight through to classics such as Great Expectations and Madame Bovary, to modern novels such as To the Lighthouse, The Outsider, Beloved, and Wolf Hall. Stunning images of the original manuscripts, first editions, and authors are complemented by extracts and quotations, w