Thyrza. A Tale, by George Gissing (novel) Classic Reprint

Between 1880 and 1903 George Gissing wrote 23 novels. His early works were naturalistic and later he wrote in a realistic style. Gissing it considered to be a late Victorian author. Gissing tells the story of the martyrdom of Thyrza Tennant. She is pregnant by Andy McAdam; who not only refuses to marry her, but also marries her sister Laura instead. Thyrza never reveals the identity of the father. Barton Gorse loves Thyrza and wants to marry her, but she refuses believing that if she does marry him everyone will think Barton is the father. Thyrza is a woman of strength and high character. The late Victorian novelist George Gissing (1857 -- 1905) is best known for "New Grub Street" and "The Odd Women", two books that he wrote in mid-life. Other that these two novels, Gissing's works frequently are difficult to find. Interested readers frequently must search for dubious offprint editions. This is particularly the case for Gissing's earlier books which have a strongly personal, autobiographical component. Of his first seven novels, six are set among the working class poor of London. A small English publisher called Victorian Secrets has assumed the role of publishing Victorian novels that tend to be forgotten, including several novels of Gissing. In 2010, Victorian Secrets published Gissing's rare first novel, "Workers in the Dawn", followed in 2011 by Gissing's third novel, "Demos". Victorian Secrets has now published Gissing's fifth novel, "Thyrza", written in 1887 and published in a revised edition in 1891. As does its companions, the Victorian Secrets edition of "Thyrza" is beautifully produced with a readable, reliable version of the text. Pierre Coustillas, the distinguished Gissing scholar and the author of a recent three-volume biography, edited the volume, as well as the earlier two volumes, prepared the endnotes, and wrote an insightful introduction to the book. The introductionincludes as well a short biography of Gissing and a bibliography of studies of "Thyrza". The edition includes as well an essay by David Gryllis, Kellogg College, Oxford, discussing the changes Gissing made in the book between the first version in 1887 and the revised version of 1891. Finally, the book includes maps of the two "worlds" inhabited by the primary characters of the book, Thyrza Trent and Walter Egremont. Thyrza's world centers upon the working class community of Lambeth while Egremont is more at home in the Lake District and in Eastbourne. While this edition makes "Thyrza" accessible to new readers, it offers something new to those who already know the book. Virtually every edition and reprint of the book uses Gissing's 1891 revision. In this edition, Coustillas opts to use Gissing's original 1887 text. He thus takes an already long text and makes it somewhat longer. In the revised version, Gissing eliminated some narrative editorializing and also cut an extensive sub-plot that occurs in the final third of the novel. Readers familiar with other editions of "Thyrza" will be able to compare the two versions. Those new to the book will have a longer read than otherwise, but they will get to know "Thyrza". It is valuable for readers devoted to Gissing to have the original version available.