Neo-Victorianism and Sensation Fiction.

One of the strengths of the book is that Cox offers not just compelling readings of neo-Victorian texts, but also new readings of sensation novels as well. I The Woman in White i (1859), perhaps the most influential sensation novel, features as an ur-text; Cox uses it in the introduction to demonstrate the impact of sensationalism on neo-Victorianism and frequently returns to it. Further, Cox suggests that if neo-Victorianist scholars insist on using the murky concepts of "self-conscious" or knowing texts, they also risk mimicking those Victorian critics who dismissed popular sensation novels as unworthy of serious discussion. [Extracted from the article]