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FDU PRESS
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| Scholarly Review |
 | Leonard Merrick
ISBN# 9780838642504
Reviewed by: Heidi Kaufman, University of Delaware
Victorian Studies, Vol. 53:2 |
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Baker and Shumaker approach Merrick's literary career not to discern why he has been forgotten, but to provide "the first comprehensive full-length account of LM's work." To this end, they are extremely successful; this study will be helpful to anyone interested in Merrick's place in or relationship to late-Victorian literary history, Anglo-Jewish literature, print culture, and the rise of the film industry, imperialism and literature, and literature about writers and the publishing world. Baker and Shumaker's thorough account will make possible future studies of Merrick's writing, legacy, and subsequent disappearance from the field of literary studies.
Leonard Merrick: A Forgotten Novelist's Novelist is unique in its attention to the range of Merrick's intellectual and cultural interests. He ended his career as a screenwriter of two films; Baker and Shumaker have handled well the evolution of print culture and literary styles in their discussions of Merrick's development. Their discussion of contemporary reviews of his work is particularly thorough and informative. Readers of this study deduce very quickly that the problem of Merrick's identity as a forgotten author hinges as much on current tastes in literature as with the mixed reception he received in his day. Throughout this study, Baker and Shumaker consider dissenting views of Merrick's career and in so doing recover his work without vindicating him on nostalgic pretenses. Their study thus makes a strong contribution to the field that will -- one hopes -- evoke interest and further study of Merrick's curious status as a forgotten author.
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