The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories is a series of political tales focusing on such topics as white-collar poverty, class differences, and social ambitions. Excerpt: "In England, during the sixties and seventies of the last century the world of books was dominated by one Gargantuan type of fiction. The terms book and novel became almost synonymous in houses that were not Puritan, yet where books and reading, in the era of few and unfree libraries, were strictly circumscribed. George Gissing was no exception to this rule. The English novel was at the summit of its reputation during his boyish days."

The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories by George Gissing: Step into the world of George Gissing's captivating short stories in "The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories." This collection showcases Gissing's exceptional talent for weaving intricate tales exploring the human condition, society's complexities, and the depths of human emotions. With a keen understanding of human nature, Gissing's stories offer profound reflections on life, love, and the ever-changing world. Key Aspects of the Book "The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories by George Gissing": Character Studies: Gissing's stories delve deep into the psyche of his characters, presenting complex and realistic portrayals of human emotions and behaviors. Social Commentary: The collection often serves as a lens through which Gissing comments on the societal issues and challenges faced by individuals in the changing world of the late 19th century. Exploration of Human Relationships: "The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories" delves into the intricacies of human relationships, including love, friendship, and family bonds. George Gissing was a notable English novelist known for his realistic portrayals of urban life and social issues during the late 19th century. Born in 1857, he achieved recognition for his works exploring themes of class struggle, poverty, and the human experience in an industrialized world. Gissing's short stories, such as those featured in "The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories," continue to be celebrated for their poignant insights into human nature and society.

Approaching its subject both contextually and comparatively, George Gissing and the Woman Question reads Gissing's novels, short stories and personal writings as a crux in European fiction's formulations of gender and sexuality. The collection places Gissing alongside nineteenth- and twentieth-century authors as diverse as Paul Bourget, Ella Hepworth Dixon, May Sinclair and Theodore Dreiser, theorizing the ways in which late-Victorian sexual difference is challenged, explored and performed in Gissing's work. In addition to analyzing the major novels, essays make a case for Gissing as a significant short story writer and address Gissing's own life and afterlife in ways that avoid biographical mimetics. The contributors also place Gissing's work in relation to discourses of subjectivity and intersubjectivity, identity, public space, class and labour, especially literary production. Increasingly viewed as a key chronicler of the late Victorian period's various redefinitions of sexual difference, Gissing is here recognized as a sincere, uncompromising chronicler of social change.