Amy Levy, The Romance of a Shop

Roslyn K. Fleming (University of Kentucky)

Ed. by Jessica Gossling, Goldsmiths College, University of London
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), Nicole Kennedy (University of Newcastle)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1888

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

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First published in 1888 by Fisher Unwin and republished in 1889 by Cupples and Hurd, Amy Levy’s first novel,

The Romance of a Shop

, had a mixed reception. Despite being described as having a “sufficiently tame theme”, it received praise for its exciting portrayal of independent women living in the city (qtd. in Beckman, 154). A recurring criticism, however, was that readers were dissatisfied with the novel’s ending. In

Woman’s World

2 (1889), Oscar Wilde notes that the novel was “brightly and pleasantly written”, but “the sudden introduction of a tragedy into it seems violent and unnecessary” (qtd. in New, 44) – the tragedy referenced being the sexual relationship between the youngest central character, Phyllis Lorimer, and married artist Sidney Darrell, and…

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3013 words

Citation: Fleming, Roslyn K.. "The Romance of a Shop". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 March 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=22007, accessed 29 March 2025.]

Amy Levy, The Romance of a Shop

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