Edward Bulwer-Lytton, The Coming Race

Anna McCullough (Independent Scholar - Europe)

Ed. by Grace Moore, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1871

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel
Science Fiction/ Speculative

Resources

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Written toward the end of his prolific literary career,

The Coming Race

is one of Edward Bulwer Lytton’s most well-known and influential works. The book was published by Blackwood and appeared on 1 May 1871. Bulwer concealed his authorship by publishing the book anonymously and dedicating it to Max Müller, a philologist whom he had never met. In letters to his editor, John Forster, Bulwer wrote that he thought the book would have commercial appeal, but that it was too satirical to appear under his name: “[M]y notion having been that if it could appear unbeknown, it would create a sensation and have a large sale, but that with my name it would be a failure” (qtd. in Sinnema 170). Bulwer seems to have been correct;

The Coming Race

was an instant success and went through five editions…

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3538 words

Citation: McCullough, Anna. "The Coming Race". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 June 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1224, accessed 27 July 2024.]

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