Prancing Novelist: In Praise Of Ronald Firbank

Prancing Novelist: In Praise Of Ronald Firbank

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Condition: SECONDHAND

This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.


Condition remarks:
Condition: Good. Jacket: Dust jacket present, slightly worn and faded with minor edge wear; some tears. Page Condition: Good, likely some minor tanning given age. Markings: No visible markings. Binding: Appears intact and solid.

A landmark work of literary criticism, Prancing Novelist: In Praise of Ronald Firbank presents a passionate and intellectually rigorous defence of one of English literature's most eccentric and undervalued modernist writers. Brigid Brophy, herself a formidable wit and stylist, argues with brilliant conviction that Ronald Firbank — known for his camp sensibility, ornate prose, and fragmented dialogue — deserves a place among the great novelists of the twentieth century. With characteristic erudition and flair, Brophy dissects Firbank's novels, uncovering the sophisticated literary architecture beneath their seemingly whimsical surfaces. The work also situates Firbank within broader cultural, aesthetic, and psychosexual frameworks, drawing on art history, biography, and philosophy to construct a comprehensive and compelling critical portrait. Written with the same dazzling intelligence and irreverence that characterised Brophy's own fiction, this study remains an essential text for anyone interested in modernism, camp aesthetics, and the politics of literary reputation.

Author: Brigid Brophy
Format: Hardback
Published: 1973, Macmillan
Genre: Literary theory

Description


Condition remarks:
Condition: Good. Jacket: Dust jacket present, slightly worn and faded with minor edge wear; some tears. Page Condition: Good, likely some minor tanning given age. Markings: No visible markings. Binding: Appears intact and solid.

A landmark work of literary criticism, Prancing Novelist: In Praise of Ronald Firbank presents a passionate and intellectually rigorous defence of one of English literature's most eccentric and undervalued modernist writers. Brigid Brophy, herself a formidable wit and stylist, argues with brilliant conviction that Ronald Firbank — known for his camp sensibility, ornate prose, and fragmented dialogue — deserves a place among the great novelists of the twentieth century. With characteristic erudition and flair, Brophy dissects Firbank's novels, uncovering the sophisticated literary architecture beneath their seemingly whimsical surfaces. The work also situates Firbank within broader cultural, aesthetic, and psychosexual frameworks, drawing on art history, biography, and philosophy to construct a comprehensive and compelling critical portrait. Written with the same dazzling intelligence and irreverence that characterised Brophy's own fiction, this study remains an essential text for anyone interested in modernism, camp aesthetics, and the politics of literary reputation.