Victorian Secrets

Independent press dedicated to publishing books from and about the nineteenth century

  • Home
  • About
  • Catalogue
    • Victorian Secrets
    • Twentieth Century Vox
  • News
  • Contact

New edition of Weeds by Jerome K. Jerome

October 31, 2012 By Catherine Pope

Weeds by Jerome K. Jerome

We’re very pleased to announce a new critical edition of Weeds: A Story in Seven Chapters by Jerome K. Jerome.

First published anonymously in 1892, Weeds marked a significant departure from the humour that made Jerome K. Jerome famous. This disturbing story of sexual corruption shows marital fidelity as a perpetual struggle, with Dick Selwyn falling for the attractions of his wife’s young cousin, Jessie. The link between mental and physical corruption is sustained through a central metaphor of a weed-infested garden, which perishes through neglect.

With its radical ending, this story of the dark side of passion casts an important light on late-nineteenth-century sexual politics and gender ideology. Jerome engages with contemporary debates on degeneration and the emergence of the New Woman, offering a powerful evocation of fin-de-siècle society.

This edition, edited by Carolyn W. de la L. Oulton includes an introduction, explanatory footnotes, author biography, and a wealth of contextual material. Available in print and Kindle editions.

Find out more about Weeds: A Story in Seven Chapters by Jerome K. Jerome

Filed Under: News Tagged With: adultery, degeneration, divorce, fin de siecle, New Woman

Featured Book

Cover of My Ladys Soul: The Poems of Elizabeth Eleanor Siddall

My Ladys Soul: The Poems of Elizabeth Eleanor Siddall

By Elizabeth Eleanor Siddall

Copyright © 2019 · Victorian Secrets Limited