Victorian Hybridities:

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, European society struggled to adapt to numerous challenges to traditional knowledge systems. In response to an increasing confusion of standard forms, Victorian thinkers and writers developed and amplified the concept of ''hybridity.'' Victorian Hybridities shows that writers of the period not only addressed hybridity as a subject but also embodied it through a great variety of blended genres and discursive mixes. With remarkable cohesiveness, the contributors to this volume cover a wide range of Victorian texts -- both canonical and lesser known -- to consider how the artistic and scientific communities understood and enacted the period's rapidly changing socioeconomic and cultural landscapes. Discussions of everything from climate change and sustainability to race, culture, and politics increasingly rely upon the terms hybrid and hybridity. Examining an early historical manifestation of such discourse refines and directs not only scholarly work in Victorian studies but also these contemporary discussions. Introduced by U. C. Knoepflmacher, the collection includes his personal recommended reading list for those who wish to delve further into this topic. Students and scholars of postcolonial and Victorian literature and culture will welcome the availability of this fine collection.