Need An Alternative to Austen, Gaskell, Bronte's etc

[Vasquoy]

I seem to have a recent run on 19th Century type romances by the authors shown in the title.

Can anyone suggest some other authors I should look at which run along similar themes and period to these??

[fairkatrina]

George Eliot (really a woman) wrote pastoral romances (the Austen kind). Not novels but the poetry of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Christina Rosetti is worth a look (Emily Bronte-esque sweeping passion), Mary Shelley for something more supernatural ('Frankenstein' being her most famous work). Louisa May Alcott for something a little less taxing (she wrote 'Little Women') or something a bit different from the usual run is Lydia Maria Child, an American author who was a bit hard-line and Gaskell-esque; wrote about early America and the indigenous population.

For male writers there's always Wilde (sublime aestheticism at its best), Dickens (actually very readable even though he's got a bit of a stuffy reputation-socialism in a Gaskell vein), George Gissing (very allegorical but 'New Grub Street' is well worth a look), Thomas Hardy (pastoral doom and gloom - start with 'Tess' if you're going there!) and Bram Stoker for something a bit spooky (he wrote 'Dracula' but also did some good novels based on Irish folklore)

Hope this helps & happy reading!

[dundurn]

Trollope! Unfortunate name, excellent literature. Took on both Church and Parliament, while defending true religion and democracy. Fun to read and we are also blessed with some of the best dramatisations ever produced. Galsworthy's Forsyte Saga is (imho) almost as good and the Eric Porter/ Nyree Dawn Porter TV series made the most of it.

All three sets of books are all the better for me because you get to follow the same characters and their friends, descendants, lovers and enemies over a number of books - one is never enough!

[illya7]

Wilkie collins.The two best to start with would be "The Woman In White" & "The Moonstone". His novels are exciting, full of dramatic,even grotesque , chracters and he wasnt afraid to flaunt convention( despite being a male author he writes really strong female characters )He wrote a huge amount so there is plenty to get your teeth into. My favourite author so I hope you get into him too

[Joe Shmoe]

Try The Ruby In The Smoke by Philip Pullman .The first in the Sally Lockhart quartet. They are gripping Thrillers with a romantic angle set in the 19yh Century.:-D

[Peter Pedant]

Trollope, Thackeray and Dickens sudduv go around in a trio

Edgeworth, Burney,

?google victorian novelists

[zna79]

Georgette Heyer is awesome. Try 'Arabella' (my fave) or 'Frederica' or 'The Grand Sophy' . I am an Eng Lit teacher and give her 5 stars!