The Forger's Shadow: How Forgery Changed the Course of Literature

Groom, Nick

ISBN 10: 033037432X / ISBN 13: 9780330374323

Edité par Picador, London, 2002

A propos de cet article

Octavo Size [approx 16x24cm]. Near Fine copy in a Very Good dustjacket. DJ now protected in our clear archival purpose-made plastic sleeve. An excellent copy. 351 pages. This book sheds light on the plagiarisms, the counterfeits, and the forgeries of our literary past and demonstrates their significance in our history and our art. In defining the meaning of forgery, the author ranges from the economic forgery of the eighteenth century where forging a banknote could mean death by hanging, to the formation of copyright. At the centre of the book are figures of literary forgery including Thomas Chatterton, James MacPherson, William Henry Ireland - and more. A gripping and illuminating book.

N° de réf. du vendeur 262348

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: The Forger's Shadow: How Forgery Changed the Course of Literature
• Éditeur: Picador, London
• Date de parution: 2002
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 033037432X
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780330374323
• Reliure: Hardback
• Édition: 1st Edition.
• État de la jaquette: Jaquette
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • True Crime

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

Whilst defining the very meaning of forgery, Nick Groom ranges from the economic forgery of the 18th century, where the forgery of a #100 banknote could mean death by hanging, to the formation of literary copyright which was established not in order to protect the nation's authors, but rather as a way of censoring them. At the centre of Groom's book are the figures of literary forgery that have haunted both our literature and our imaginations for years. There is Chatterton: the fatal model for the Romantic perceived as a mad, unrecognized, and suicidal genius but one whose supposedly tragic life was as much myth as the 15th century monk he invented. Or there is Macpherson: constantly at war with Samuel Johnson who edited (or wrote, or indeed forged) the lost epics of a third-century Celtic bard; there is the forger William Henry Ireland who not only wrote two new and disastrous Shakespeare plays but also forged a legal document to make sure he benefited from the royalties; and finally there is the famous Wainewright who was a supreme forger in practically every sphere whose effect on literature from Dickens to Wilde to the early 21st century cannot be underestimated.

À propos de l?auteur

Nick Groom is Senior Lecturer in Post-Mediaeval Literature at the University of Bristol. He took a double first in English at Oxford, worked unsuccessfully as a rock musician, wrote a doctoral thesis on eighteenth-century ballads and since then has published widely on literature, music and contemporary art in both academic and popular publications. He lives on Dartmoor and in North London.