Political Future Fiction

The Edwardian period was a time of great social and political change. While the British Empire was still dominant the threat from rival empires was growing, the lower-classes were gaining political representation and women's suffrage was gathering momentum. The six novels in this collection include works by Joseph Conrad and Ford Madox Ford (Hueffer) and John Buchan. They represent a significant genre of fiction which sought to explore current political issues through imagined futures. Imperialism and feminism interweave these texts. Imperialism and especially the British Empire is a recurrent theme which is explored from both pro- and anti- standpoints, while the expansion of the Empire in Africa is fictionalised in accounts that are based closely on contemporary events and real African states. The influence of first-wave feminism and contemporary suffrage campaigning is evident in the texts' exploration of gender role-reversals, and extrapolations from the premise that women would gain the vote, and could thus hold political office. These are the only critical editions of these novels. The texts are contextualized within their contemporary reception, with the use of contemporary reviews and correspondence. The edition will be of value to those researching late Victorian and Edwardian literature and culture, social and political history, empire studies and gender.