Chapter 28 George Moore and the Three-Volume Novel

George Moore and the Three-Volume Novel Most of the current British novels are sold at the standard price of seven shillings and six pence per volume, and it is Most of them are in one volume, and it is rare that there are two volumes.But forty years ago, the popular British publishing A novel must be divided into three volumes, upper, middle and lower, and the price of the book is very expensive. The general price of a novel is always around Thirty shillings and sixpence or so.Although Britain was in a peaceful and prosperous age at that time, middle-class gentlemen and Most of the housewives pass the time by reading novels, but they also suffer from the high price of books and cannot afford them.At the same time, out

This kind of three-volume novel is popular in the printing industry, and some writers have to Inserting many meaningless stories and gags in the book is like drinking light wine. This situation, of course, displeased some serious writers, and Oscar Wilde once complained about this three-volume style. The novel ridiculed it, saying: "Anyone can write a three-volume novel. As long as you have no knowledge of both life and art Just solve it." Since the three-volume novel is expensive and dissatisfied by the writers, it is still popular The reason, in fact, was that it was supported by the organization of the circulation library that was prevailing at the time.circulation books

The library is specialized in lending novels. It is huge in scale, extremely cheap, and has influence all over the place.small at that time It is said that readers often borrow books from the library because of the high price of books, and rarely buy a novel for thirty shillings. read.Therefore, the sales of the three-volume novels all depend on the various circulation libraries, and they almost underwrite the sales. All new novels.If they don't buy it, the novel has no market at all. Since the circulation library has such a great influence, not only the publishers of the time have to rely on their

Nose, even ordinary writers also have to watch their expressions and listen to their instructions.Otherwise, once they refuse Never buy your book, refuse to lend your book, your book not only has no sales, but the publisher I also refuse to accept your second manuscript. These circulating libraries, which can control the publishing industry and writers' right to life and death, have gradually become a kind of evil. power.In order to curry favor and increase subscribers, they arbitrarily demand from publishers and writers suitable Works to their taste.Most of the operators are old-fashioned diehards, and they are ideologically opposed to them.

Emerging new writers often refuse to include their work on the grounds that it is immoral or indecent Lend catalog.At that time, if a novel was rejected by various circulation libraries, it was tantamount to being banned. The circulation library thus became in effect a censorship authority. Thus, in 1883, when George Moore's new book, An Actress' Wife, was published, He met such a fate and was rejected by the most powerful "Maode's Circulation Library" at that time. Said it was indecent.Moore's thought was radical at that time, for the three-volume novel and its supporters circulation map

The library has hated it for a long time, so it immediately resisted, took the opportunity to attack, and ran to question Maode, asking him to Point out the immorality.The Mao family refused, and Mo Ya was furious, pointing at him on the spot and cursing: "Maode, I'm going to destroy your whole business! My next book will be released cheap sale.I'm going to appeal to the public." Moore drafted "A Modern Lover" when he went back. The publisher backed him up and printed the novel as a volume, selling it at an unprecedented low price of six shillings. This, of course, was a threat to circulation libraries, and they tried to get Moore's new book accepted.

To ban it, but it was too late, the whole publishing world has recognized this road, and one after another with six The shilling volume of novels came out, and readers were easy to buy, so the whole circulation library business, As the critic Carlyle said, like an iceberg, Cui Wei's power immediately collapsed and shattered. This can be said to be the work of George Moore alone.However, although the power of the circulation library has been eliminated, But in the UK, until today, the library attached to the world-famous British Museum still refuses Absolutely buy Ellis' famous book "Research on Sexual Psychology", which can prove that another evil force is still active

with.