The Man of Feeling (Oxford World's Classics) - Softcover

Mackenzie, Henry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 019953862X ISBN 13: 9780199538621

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Mackenzie's hugely popular novel of 1771 is the foremost work of the sentimental movement, in which sentiment and sensibility were allied with true virtue, and sensitivity is the mark of the man of feeling. The hero, Harley, is followed in a series of episodes demonstrating his benevolence in an uncaring world: he assists the down-trodden, loses his love, and fails to achieve worldly success. The novel asks a series of vital questions: what morality is possible in a complex commercial world? Does trying to maintain it make you a saint or a fool? Is sentiment merely a luxury for the leisured classes?

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

The Man of Feeling is unquestionably among the most important and influential works of eighteenth-century sentimental fiction. The novel follows Harley, the eponymous “man of feeling” and impoverished aristocrat, as he travels from his rural estate to London and back in a reluctant quest for financial advancement and more heartfelt quest for kindred spirits. In addition to presenting a remarkable gallery of characters, Harley’s story gives a profound sense of the historical changes transforming the economy, landscape, and social relations of eighteenth-century England and Scotland.

This Broadview edition’s critical introduction and rich selection of appendices situate The Man of Feeling in the context of the period’s intellectual debates on sentiment, sympathy, and the novel. Contextual documents include contemporary reviews of the novel, selections from Mackenzie’s correspondence and journalism, and related contemporary writings by David Hume, Adam Smith, Sir Walter Scott, and Laurence Sterne.

About the Author:

Brian Vickers is Chair and Professor of English Literature at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 019953862X
• ISBN 13: 9780199538621
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 119
• Editor: Vickers Brian