Gillian Beer est une critique littéraire et universitaire britannique dont le travail explore l'intersection de la littérature, de la science et de la culture. Elle offre des aperçus profonds sur des périodes et des figures littéraires clés, en examinant comment les idées en évolution sur la nature, la connaissance et l'identité se reflètent et se façonnent dans les textes. Son érudition souligne la relation dynamique entre l'expression littéraire et les courants intellectuels plus larges de son époque. L'approche de Beer se caractérise par une analyse méticuleuse et une capacité distinctive à éclairer la signification culturelle des œuvres littéraires.
The book offers a comprehensive exploration of the Romance genre from the medieval era to the 20th century, highlighting its evolution and interactions with other literary forms like gothic novels and realism. It examines influential writers such as Chaucer, Sidney, and Tennyson, and analyzes significant texts including Cervantes' Don Quixote and Coleridge's Kubla Khan, providing insights into the genre's development and thematic richness over time.
WITH INTRODUCTIONS BY JEANETTE WINTERSON AND GILLIAN BEER The Waves is an astonishingly beautiful and poetic novel. It begins with six children playing in a garden by the sea and follows their lives as they grow up and experience friendship, love and grief at the death of their beloved friend Percival. Regarded by many as her greatest work, The Waves is also seen as Virginia Woolf's response to the loss of her brother Thoby, who died when he was twenty-six. The Vintage Classics Virginia Woolf series has been curated by Jeanette Winterson, and the texts used are based on the original Hogarth Press editions published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf.