The Island of Doctor Moreau: A Norton Critical Edition (Norton Critical Editions)

Description

“Kimberly Benston has created an invaluable edition of The Island of Doctor Moreau, H. G. Wells’s darkest and most disturbing tale. The volume’s rich selection of historical documents brings into view the multiple contexts out of which this dystopian narrative emerged, while Benston’s splendid introduction provides fresh and thoughtful assessments of Wells’s distinctive achievement and of its impact both in his day and in our own.”

—Stephen Arata, University of Virginia

“Like?The Island of Doctor Moreau?itself, the paratexts that accompany this vital new edition are engrossing, lush, and revelatory.”

—Seo Young Chu, CUNY Queen’s College

This Norton Critical Edition includes:

• The 1896 William Heinemann edition of the novel.
• An expansive and thought-provoking introduction, a note on the text detailing the complex publication history, and explanatory footnotes.
• Ten illustrations, including the 1896 frontispiece and related sources.
• An especially rich selection of contextual materials, topically organized: Evolution; Race, Cannibalism, and Empire; Animality, Science, and the Vivisection Debate; Literary Influences; and further writings by Wells.
• Twenty-six critical interpretations from early nineteenth century views to the most current critical scholarship.
• A chronology of Wells’s life and a selected bibliography.