She: A History of Adventure

H. Rider Haggard

Broadview Press, Feb 1, 2006 - Fiction - 359 pages

First published in 1886–87, H. Rider Haggard’s imperial romance follows its English heroes from the quiet rooms of Cambridge to the uncharted interior of Africa in search of a legendary lost city with an ageless white queen. The two men find their way to the ancient city of Kôr, where the beautiful and mysterious Ayesha, “She-who-must-be-obeyed,” rules. Despite her cruelty, both men become fascinated by Ayesha, who leads them on a harrowing journey to bathe in the underground “River of Life.” A thrilling “history of adventure,” She also reveals the complexity of Victorian attitudes towards race, gender, exploration, and empire.

This Broadview edition presents the novel in its original illustrated Graphic magazine version, never before republished, and includes a critical introduction and supporting materials that demonstrate the novel’s relationship to late-Victorian issues such as imperialism, archaeology, race, evolution, and the rise of the “New Woman.”

Contents

• Preface: 9
• Introduction: 11
• A Brief Chronology: 27
• A Note on the Text: 29
• List of Illustrations: 31
• A HISTORY OF ADVENTURE: 33
• Victorian Critical Reception: 281
• Victorian Archaeology Mummies and Lost Cities: 302
• Race and Empire: 320
• The New Woman: 329
• Major Revisions for the First English Edition 1887: 343
• Works Cited and Recommended Reading: 357

About the author

Andrew M. Stauffer is an Assistant Professor of English at Boston University. He is the author of Anger, Revolution, and Romanticism (Cambridge University Press) and the co-editor of Robert Browning’s Poetry (W.W. Norton).

Bibliographic information

• Title: She: A History of Adventure
• Author: H. Rider Haggard
• Editor: Andrew M. Stauffer
• Publisher: Broadview Press, 2006
• ISBN: 1770482407, 9781770482401
• Length: 359 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / Literary