The Restoration was a period surprisingly rich in fiction, and the period between 1660 and 1700 witnessed the decline of the epic and the birth of the English novel. Literature of the period became increasingly secular in response to advancements in science, philosophy and exploration. With growing recognition of the power of print, literary works became increasingly targeted to the masses, rather than just to the educated members of the upper class. John Bunyan's classic tale of salvation, "The Pilgrim's Progress", became one of the most widely read works of the last few centuries and has been translated into scores of languages around the world. In recent years, the writings of Aphra Behn have elicited a growing critical response and have led scholars to reassess the place of women in early modern England. But with the exception of Bunyan and Behn, the English novel written between 1660 and 1700 remains a comparatively neglected area. Nonetheless, many other authors produced works of fiction in genres such as the criminal biography, the Utopian novel, the scientific voyage to another world, and the heroic romance.
This reference book establishes a list of novels that appeared between 1660 and 1700 and provides a comprehensive annotated bibliography of critical and scholarly studies. The first part of the book presents overviews of existing bibliographies, anthologies and general contextual works on the early English novel. The second part of the book includes alphabetically arranged sections for individual authors of the period, listing editions and scholarly studies of particular works. A chronology lists the novels according to year of publication, and detailed indexes conclude the volume.