Explains the development of the genre in its formative period in Britain, and includes detailed analysis of key novels by Fielding, Richardson and Burney.

Introduction; Part I. Secrets and Singularity: 1. Daniel Defoe and the power of singularity; 2. The virtue of singularity; 3. The punishment of singularity; Part II. Sociability and Community: 4. The reformation of family; 5. Alternative communities; 6. The sociability of books; Part III. History and Nation: 7. History, novel, and polemic; 8. Historical fiction and generational distance; Guide to further reading; Index.

April London is Professor of English at the University of Ottawa.