This volume presents fresh approaches to classic Victorian fiction from 1830 to 1900. Consisting of a series of original essays written by prominent specialists in the field, it opens up the cultural world in which the Victorian novel was written and read. The 12 contributors provide new perspectives on how Victorian fiction relates to a range of important contemporary contexts, including class, sexuality, empire, psychology, law, visual culture, biology and the conditions of authorship. Their contributions cross traditional disciplinary boundaries, enabling readers to understand the Victorian novel's complex engagements with diverse aspects of nineteenth-century society.