New Grub Street

New Grub Street is George Gissing's unflinching portrait of the literary world in late Victorian London, where writers must choose between art and survival. Edwin Reardon, a talented novelist, watches his early success fade as poverty strains his marriage and his health. Jasper Milvain, a charming and unscrupulous young journalist, rises by writing what sells and cultivating the right connections. Around them cluster a memorable cast: Marian Yule, the dutiful daughter trapped by her father's demands; Harold Biffen, the idealist whose commitment to realism leads to despair; and the various editors, publishers, and hangers-on who make up the literary marketplace. Gissing draws on his own struggles to depict the grinding realities of hack work, the humiliations of debt, and the compromises demanded by a commercial age. This is a novel for anyone interested in the writing life, the history of publishing, or the timeless conflict between integrity and ambition. It offers a vivid, unsentimental view of how literature is made and sold, and what happens to those who cannot or will not play the game.

This edition contains the complete text of New Grub Street, a new introduction, a character guide, a summary, themes, a glossary, and discussion questions to support your reading and reflection.