Richard Jefferies

The story tells of how London becomes a swampland after an unspecified natural disaster delivers England over to the mercy of nature. Divided into two parts, "The Relapse into Barbarism" recounts the fall of civilisation while the second longer section entitled "Wild England" follows Felix Aquila, the male protagonist, as he builds a canoe and explores more of the world around him.

'Round About a Great Estate' is a romance novel set in the countryside, written by Richard Jefferies. Old Hilary Luckett—though familiarly called 'old,' he is physically in the prime of life—is probably about the most independent man in the county. Yet he is on terms of more than goodwill with the great house, and rents one of the largest farms on the estate, somewhere between six and seven hundred acres. He has the right of shooting, and in the course of years privilege after privilege has been granted, until Hilary is now as free of the warren as the owner of the charter himself. If you should be visiting Okebourne Chace, and any question should arise whether of horses, dog, or gun, you are sure to be referred to Hilary. Hilary knows all about it: he is the authority thereabout on all matters concerning game.

This book, a critical study of the essays and novels of Richard Jefferies, an English writer of the latter part of the nineteenth century, is an attempt to define the nature of Jefferies' contribution to English literature, and to isolate the more important and effective qualities of his work. Although he was not a major figure in English letteres, Jefferies was highly regarded for his essays on nature and the English countryside, studies of rural conditions, and regional novels; his work mirrors the rapid change taking place in agriculture at the time, and is of interest today to social historians and economists. This study begins with a brief biological account, and then proceeds to a discussion of individual works. An important feature is a comprehensive bibliography of Jefferies' books and pamphlets, arranged in order of publication to assist the readers in checking chronology. (Department of English Studies and Texts, No. 13)