The Romance of a Shop (1888) is a novel by Amy Levy. Published the year before her tragic death, The Romance of a Shop is the debut novel of a pioneering writer and feminist whose poetry and prose explores the concept of the New Woman while illuminating the realities of Jewish life in nineteenth century London. “The air of desolation which hung about the house had communicated itself in some vague manner to the garden, where the trees were bright with blossom, or misty with the tender green of the young leaves. Perhaps the effect of sadness was produced, or at least heightened, by the pathetic figure that paced slowly up and down the gravel path immediately before the house; the figure of a young woman, slight, not tall, bare-headed, and clothed in deep mourning.” Following the unexpected death of their father, sisters Fanny, Gertrude, Lucy, and Phyllis are left with little inheritance and even less hope for the future. On the brink of despair, they join together to launch a photography business, each contributing to the best of their abilities in order to survive. As Lucy begins an apprenticeship with a local photographer, her sisters purchase and prepare their own studio for her return. Despite their efforts, they struggle to convince customers that a shop owned by women can demand the same prices as those run by men. Through perseverance and luck, however, the Lorimers find success as funeral photographers and through their connection to a prominent artist. As romance, illness, and war interrupt their plans, the sisters find solace in their mutual resolve to not only survive, but provide and care for one another. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition Amy Levy’s The Romance of a Shop is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Amy Levy has risen to prominence in recent years as one of the most innovative and perplexing writers of her generation. Embraced by feminist scholars for her radical experimentation with queer poetic voice and her witty journalistic pieces on female independence, she remains controversial for her representations of London Jewry that draw unmistakably on contemporary antisemitic discourse. Amy Levy: Critical Essays brings together scholars working in the fields of Victorian cultural history, women’s poetry and fiction, and the history of Anglo-Jewry. The essays trace the social, intellectual, and political contexts of Levy’s writing and its contemporary reception. Working from close analyses of Levy’s texts, the collection aims to rethink her engagement with Jewish identity, to consider her literary and political identifications, to assess her representations of modern consumer society and popular culture, and to place her life and work within late-Victorian cultural debate. This book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students offering both a comprehensive literature review of scholarship-to-date and a range of new critical perspectives. Contributors: Susan David Bernstein,University of Wisconsin-Madison Gail Cunningham,Kingston University Elizabeth F. Evans,Pennslyvania State University–DuBois Emma Francis,Warwick University Alex Goody,Oxford Brookes University T. D. Olverson,University of Newcastle upon Tyne Lyssa Randolph,University of Wales, Newport Meri-Jane Rochelson,Florida International University

After a century of critical neglect, poet and writer Amy Levy is gaining recognition as a literary figure of stature. This definitive biography accompanied by her letters, along with the recent publication of her selected writings, provides a critical appreciation of Levy's importance in her own time and in ours. As an educated Jewish woman with homoerotic desires, Levy felt the strain of combating the structures of British society in the 1880s, the decade in which she built her career and moved in London's literary and bohemian circles. Unwilling to cut herself off from her Jewish background, she had the additional burden of attempting to bridge the gap between communities. In Amy Levy: Her Life and Letters Linda Hunt Beckman examines Levy's writings and other cultural documents for insight into her emotional and intellectual life. This groundbreaking study introduces us to a woman well deserving of a place in literary and cultural history.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1922 edition. Excerpt: ...The first amendment of the committee, in paragraph 757, was, page 110, line 23, to strike out "3 cents" and to insert in lieu thereof "three-fourths of 1 cent," so as to read: Teanuts, not shelled, three-fourths of 1 cent per pound. Mr. WALSH of Massachusetts. I understand that a negative vote will restore the House rate, and an affirmative vote support the Finance Committee in the lower rate? The PRESIDING OFFICER. That is correct. The question is on the committee amendment to strike out "3 cents" and to insert in lieu thereof " threefourths of 1 cent." The yeas and nays were ordered, and the reading clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. WATSON of Indiana (when his name was called). I transfer my pair with the senior Senator from Mississippi Mr. Williams to the junior Senator from Vermont Mr. Page, and vote "nay." The roll call was concluded. Mr. CURTIS. I desire to announce the following pairs: The Senator from Delaware Mr. Ball with the Senator from Florida Mr. Fletcher; The Senator from Vermont Mr. Dillingham with the Senator from Virginia Mr. Glass; The Senator from New Jersey Mr. Edge with the Senator from Oklahoma Mr. Owen; and The Senator from West Virginia Mr. Sutherland with the Senator from Arkansas Mr. Rorinson. Mr. NEW. I transfer my pair with the junior Senator from Tennessee Mr. Mckellar to the junior Senator from Maryland Mr. Weller and vote "nay." Mr. McKINLEY. I transfer my pair with the junior Senator from Arkansas Mr. Caraway to the senior Senator from Pennsylvania Mr. Crow and vote "nay." Mr. CAMERON. I transfer my pair with the junior Senator from Georgia Mr. Watson to the senior Senator from Iowa Mr. Cummins and vote "nay." Mr. FERNALD....