This project seeks to trace the history of the young adult novel as it grew across the eighteenth century.

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The genesis for this project stems from the Novels Reviewed Database, 1790-1820, which unearthed 55 works that Reviews identified as novels, but that were left out of Peter Garside and James Raven's seemingly exhaustive bibliography of prose fiction in the British Isles.

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What were these pieces of prose fiction, that defy modern novel definitions but were reviewd as novels in the eighteenth century? They were a part of the growing genre of novels written specificaly for adolescent readers. The young adult novel included adaptations, critiques, and abridgements, and grappled with the criticism the novel itself received across the century about its influence on young minds.

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Check back here for updates on this project!