The Economic World Reversed

George Gissing’s New Grub Street,provides an insightful and realistic depiction of the literary world during the late Victorian era,a time marked by significant economic and social changes.The recurring theme of the novel centers around the turbulent and uncertain times that radically transformed both the publishing and marketing industries.By drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of“cultural production” and his definition and stratification of highbrow,middlebrow,and lowbrow culture,this thesis aims to highlight Gissing’s concerns regarding how literary marketing strategies functioned as an economic force that profoundly influenced the reception,production,and interpretation of literature.This thesis underscores the critical role of literary marketing strategies and divides Gissing’s writers into three categories,thus contributing to the analysis of literary marketing in New Grub Street and promoting a deeper understanding of the late-Victorian literary marketplace.The first chapter analyzes Edward Reardon’s early triumph in promoting “good” fiction during the 1870 s.It also proposes that the subsequent failures of both Reardon and his highbrow friend,Harold Biffen,were due to their impractical marketing strategies developed during the 1880 s.The chapter argues that the financial setbacks experienced by Reardon and Biffen,along with their premature deaths,symbolize Gissing’s mounting anxiety about “the economic world reversed.” This concern reflects Gissing’s belief that economic forces,particularly the adoption of new literary marketing strategies,had a detrimental impact on the artistic quality of literature.The second chapter details how middlebrow writers such as Jasper Milvain transformed literature into a commercial project,and viewed it as an important and effective means of achieving social status.It argues that Jasper Milvain’s ultimate triumph demonstrates Gissing’s lament for the paradoxical game of “loser wins” in artistic production.The third chapter discusses lowbrow writers’ marketing for the mass reading public,their interpretation of literature both as a means of living and the marketing ploys they adopted.This chapter argues that Mr.Whelpdale and The Milvain Sisters’ eventual success is another manifestation of the reversal of the late Victorian literary market and Gissing’s condemnation of literary entrepreneurs’ manipulation of mass readers’ literary tastes.This thesis argues that differentiation among the three “brows” in New Grub Street is not primarily based on writing style,but rather on the chosen literary marketing strategy.Consequently,any marketing strategy is significantly influenced by economic forces that play a crucial role in shaping literary production and reception.By analyzing the marketing tactics of the three “brows”and the impact of literary practices on writing careers,this study aims to demonstrate that literary marketing practices are key to understanding the production and reception of literary works.