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A festschrift in honor of John Sutherland, Studies in
Victorian and Modern Literature, edited by William
Baker, presents twenty-six essays that mirror the
eclectic scholar's wide-ranging interests. While most
of the essays in the volume represent original
contributions by a host of critics from Rosemary
Ashton to Rene Weis, the editor also includes a
reprinted article by novelist David Lodge. Following
his introduction, Baker organizes the book into four
categories, all dealing either with one of
Sutherland's intellectual interests or with his
biography: "The Publishing Dimension," "Victorians
Major and Minor," "Non-Victorians and Puzzles," and
"John Sutherland's Life and Work." ... ... "Victorians Major and Minor," represents the heart of the collection and contains ten essays that cover a variety of topics from Eliot, Dickens, and Thackeray to William Allingham, Israel Zangwill, and Charles Lever. As with the previous grouping, this part of the book frequently cites Sutherland and presents arguments that align well with his career. Rosemary Ashton, for instance, presciently builds on Sutherland's work on George Eliot, noting "As is so often the case with John's bright, stimulating explorations ... the reader is led to further puzzles" surrounding the moral and legal implications of Hetty's pregnancy in Adam Bede (84). Drawing on Sutherland's method of literary sleuthing, Asthon proceeds to solve the puzzle and contemplate Eliot's literary and legal sources. Several of the other authors (among others, Troy Bassett on literary families, Graham Law on Israel Zangwill, Brian Maidment on Robert Seymour, and K. M. Newton on Middlemarch) in this section ground their work in Sutherland, and they eschew opaque critical theory in favor of the yeoman-like work involved in biographical and historical criticism. ... James M. Decker, Review in Style 50:3 (Fall 2016) |
| His [John Sutherland's]
range is reflected in that of the twenty-six prominent
critics assembled here under William Baker's
editorship to pay tribute to him. Playing off his
particular enthusiasms, these critics write, as he
does himself, with curiosity, commitment and clarity.
Jacqueline Bannerjee, Review in Times Literary Supplement (29 April 2016) |