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The Good Soldier
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The Good Soldier Paperback - 2012

by Ford Madox Ford; Max Saunders


About this book

The Good Solider: A Tale of Passion by Ford Madox Hueffer (later, Ford Madox Ford) is set just before World War I. The “good solider” of the title is Captain Edward Ashburnman, a retired Indian army veteran, who — along with his wife Leonora — from relationships with two Americans, John and Florence Dowell. The novel follows the unraveling of Ashburman’s and Dowell’s marriages through a series of flashbacks and deals with issues, such as adultery, betrayal, and moral confusion, which often go unmentioned in polite society.

The Good Soldier was originally titled The Saddest Story, a reference to the first line: “This is the saddest story I have ever heard.” However, with the onset of the war, the publisher requested a title revision. Ford sarcastically suggested The Good Soldier, as he himself had already enlisted in the war, and the name stuck. Ford left to serve in World War I as an infantry solider later on in 1915, the same year the book was published. The Good Solider is ranked 30th on Modern Library’s list of “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century.

From the publisher

The Good Soldier is Ford Madox Ford's masterpiece, a riveting story and one of the most compelling examples of early Modernism: a virtuoso performance of how to use an "unreliable narrator." Wealthy American John Dowell tells what he calls "the saddest story," about a secret affair between his wife and another man that is finally revealed in a crescendo of death and madness. Ford's novel reflects contemporary interests in psychology, sexuality, and the New Woman, and it treats Henry James's "transatlantic theme" with an existential horror comparable to Joseph Conrad's. Its portrayal of the destruction of a civilized elite anticipates the cataclysm of the First World War, which erupted while Ford was finishing the book. This new edition features an Introduction by Max Saunders, one of the leading Ford scholars, who explores the novel as a key work of Modernism, shedding light on the nature of literary Impressionism and its relationship with the psychological realism of the characters. An appendix includes Ford's crucial essay "On Impressionism," written contemporaneously with the novel, which offers insight into Ford's artistry. This edition also has extensive notes, a chronology of the novel's main events, and an up-to-date bibliography. About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

First Edition Identification

John Lane of the Bodley Head first published The Good Soldier in the UK in 1915. The first edition is bound in brick red cloth and has the same date listed on the title page as the copyright page.

Details

  • Title The Good Soldier
  • Author Ford Madox Ford; Max Saunders
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition New
  • Pages 320
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Oxford University Press, USA
  • Date 2012-10-25
  • ISBN 9780199585946 / 0199585946
  • Weight 0.5 lbs (0.23 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 in (19.30 x 12.70 x 1.78 cm)
  • Reading level 1040
  • Themes
    • Religious Orientation: Christian
    • Topical: Family
  • Library of Congress subjects Domestic fiction, Friendship
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

About the author


Max Saunders is a Professor of English at King's College London. He is the author of the highly acclaimed two-volume biography Ford Madox Ford: A Dual Life, has edited a range of Ford's poetry and prose, and is the general editor of International Ford Madox Ford Studies.
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The Good Soldier n/e: A Tale of Passion (Oxford World's Classics)

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The Good Soldier: A Tale of Passion (Oxford Worlds Classics)

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The Good Soldier (Oxford World's Classics)
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GOOD SOLDIER

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