Invasions is an ambitious, new and authoritative study of one of the defining cultural products of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. By the outbreak of war in 1914 invasion-scare fiction had profoundly changed British society, becoming not just a vibrant part of popular culture, but a reference point among military planners, advertisers, and politicians. This intersection between politics and culture, between entertainment and war planning, sets invasion-scare stories apart as one of the most versatile and interesting fictional products in modern British history. Building on recent work in both history and literature studies, Invasions is the first study of invasion-scare fiction to examine both the form (that is, fiction) and the function (the political argument) of the genre.
By:
Christian K. Melby
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 138mm,
Spine: 21mm
Weight: 542g
ISBN: 9781526168856
ISBN 10: 1526168855
Series: Interventions: Rethinking the Nineteenth Century
Pages: 344
Publication Date: 15 April 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Introduction Part I: Beginnings 1 The Battles of Dorking Part II: Expertise, Public Opinion, and Invasion-Scare Fiction, 1870s to 1914 2 After Dorking: Expertise, Service Authors, and 1870s Future-War Fiction 3 Public Appeals and Fiction, c. 1880-1894 4 Expert Opinion and Public Pressure: From the 1890s to 1914 Part III: Authors and Readers 5 Fiction and Society: The British Public in Invasion-Scare Fiction, 1871-1914 6 Readers and Receptions: The British Public as Audience and Consumers, from the 1870s to the Edwardian High Point Part IV: Fiction goes to war 7 Invasion-Scare Literature and the First World War Conclusion Index -- .
Christian K. Melby is Associate Professor of History at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.
