Sensation and Professionalism in the Victorian Novel by Mariaconcetta Costantini

Hatter, Janine

Abstract

Book Review

First paragraph:
Sensation and Professionalism in the Victorian Novel is volume 5 in Peter Lang’s “Victorian and Edwardian Studies” series, edited by Francesco Marroni, and it is a fascinating and worthwhile study of the rise of diverse professions alongside their depiction within sensation literature of the mid-Victorian period. Costantini splits her examination of the different professions into two sections. Part 1 covers “Cultural and Artistic Professionals” such as writers, journalists and reviewers, editors, artists, and performers, while Part 2, “Tradition and Innovation: Medicine and the Legal World” includes lawyers, policemen and detectives, and doctors and nurses. What is key to Costantini’s overarching examination of the rise of the “professional” is her consideration of both male and female professionals (and amateurs) within these fields; she therefore includes not just historical and cultural perspectives, but a gendered methodological approach as well.

Citation

Hatter, J. (2017). Sensation and Professionalism in the Victorian Novel by Mariaconcetta Costantini. English Studies, 98(8), 1007-1009. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013838X.2017.1365560

• Journal Article Type: Book Review
• Online Publication Date: Sep 6, 2017
• Publication Date: Sep 6, 2017
• Deposit Date: Aug 22, 2023
• Journal: English studies
• Print ISSN: 0013-838X
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 98
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 1007-1009
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0013838X.2017.1365560
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4361087