Simon J. James is an English academic and specialist in late Victorian and Edwardian fiction, especially
George Gissing
George Robert Gissing (; 22 November 1857 – 28 December 1903) was an English novelist, who published 23 novels between 1880 and 1903. His best-known works have reappeared in modern editions. They include ''The Nether World'' (1889), ''New Grub ...
Durham University
, mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1)
, established = (university status)
, type = Public
, academic_staff = 1,830 (2020)
, administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19)
, chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen
, vice_chan ...
, he is currently the Head of the Department of English Studies (2015-2018). He is the editor of ''
The Wellsian
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', the journal of the
H. G. Wells Society
There have been two groups called the H. G. Wells Society, both set
up to support the ideas of Herbert George Wells (1866–1946).
1930s group
The first H. G. Wells Society was set up in 1934 to promote Wells' political ideas. Its members in ...
.
As well as publishing a book on George Gissing and writing many academic articles, he has also edited four H. G. Wells novels for
Penguin Classics
Penguin Classics is an imprint of Penguin Books under which classic works of literature are published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean among other languages. Literary critics see books in this series as important members of the Western ...
(''
The History of Mr Polly
''The History of Mr. Polly'' is a 1910 comic novel by H. G. Wells.
Plot summary
The protagonist of ''The History of Mr. Polly'' is an antihero inspired by H. G. Wells's early experiences in the drapery trade: Alfred Polly, born circa 1 ...
'', ''
Kipps
''Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul'' is a novel by H. G. Wells, first published in 1905. It was reportedly Wells's own favourite among his works, and it has been adapted for stage, cinema and television productions, including the musical ''H ...
'', ''
Love and Mr Lewisham
''Love and Mr Lewisham'' (subtitled "The Story of a Very Young Couple") is a 1900 in literature, 1900 novel set in the 1880s by H. G. Wells. It was among his first fictional writings outside the science fiction genre. Wells took considerable pai ...
'' and ''
The New Machiavelli
''The New Machiavelli'' is a 1911 novel by H. G. Wells that was serialised in ''The English Review'' in 1910. Because its plot notoriously derived from Wells's affair with Amber Reeves and satirised Beatrice and Sidney Webb, it was "the litera ...
'') and has written articles for the ''
Times Literary Supplement
''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp.
History
The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'' and the ''
Oxford Companion to English Literature
''The Oxford Companion to English Literature'' first published in 1932, edited by the retired diplomat Paul Harvey (diplomat), Sir Paul Harvey (1869–1948), was the earliest of the Oxford Companions to appear. It is currently in its seventh edi ...
''.
Published works
*''Unsettled Accounts: Money and Narrative in the Novels of George Gissing'' (London: Anthem Press, 2003, )
*''Maps of Utopia: H. G. Wells, Modernity and the End of Culture'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012, )