Fiction and the Reading Public

Fiction and The Reading Public provoked fierce controversy when first published in 1932, and it has since come to be recognised as a classic in its field. In her fascinating study, Q D Leavis investigates what has happened to the public taste in the last three centuries and what effect this has had on both the life of the nation and the equality of living for the individual. ‘A brilliant piece of literary exegesis and an illuminating anthropological commentary’ - Daily Mail . ‘An illuminating study…it offers a rich store of interest, not only in its vigorous scrutiny of the novel and the influences which have shaped it, but also in its study of changing attitudes and tempos of life amount the general public who read novels…An achievement of distinguished quality and high value’ - New Republic . ‘She has performed a noble office by inquiring into the case of the bestseller. The result is no less entertaining than instructive’ - Saturday Review .