Aurora FloydWith Lady Audley's Secret, Mary Elizabeth Braddon had established herself, alongside Wilkie Collins and Mrs Henry Wood, as one of the ruling triumvirate of `sensation novelists'. Aurora Floyd (1862-3), following hot on its heels, achieved almost equal popularity and notoriety. Like Lady Audley, Aurora is a beautiful young woman bigamously married and threatened with exposure by a blackmailer. But in Aurora Floyd, and in many of the novels written in imitation of it, bigamy is little more than a euphemism, a device to enable the heroine, and vicariously the reader, to enjoy the forbidden sweets of adultery without adulterous intentions. Passionate, sometimes violent, Aurora does succeed in enjoying them, her desires scarcely chastened by her disastrous first marriage. She represents a challenge to the mid-Victorian sexual code, and particularly to the feminine ideal of simpering, angelic young ladyhood. P. D. Edward's introduction evaluates the novel's leading place among `bigamy-novels' and Braddon's treatment of the power struggle between the sexes, as well as considering the similarities between the author and her heroine. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more. |
What people are saying - Write a review
Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified
LibraryThing Review
User Review - john257hopper - LibraryThingThis is Mary Elizabeth Braddon's second most famous novel after Lady Audley's Secret. Like that one it also concerns a respectable woman with, at least by the standards of the mid 19th century, a ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - PhilSyphe - LibraryThing“Aurora Floyd” features an engaging plot. It’s essentially a domestic drama with something of the detective story thrown in. I liked most of the characters, particularly Aurora and her cousin Lucy ... Read full review
Other editions - View all
Bibliographic information
| Title | Aurora Floyd Oxford World's Classics |
| Author | Mary Elizabeth Braddon |
| Editor | P. D. Edwards |
| Edition | reprint, reissue |
| Publisher | OUP Oxford, 2008 |
| ISBN | 0199555168, 9780199555161 |
| Length | 512 pages |
| Subjects | › Fiction / Classics |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |