The History of the English Novel: The Novel of Sentiment and the Gothic Romance

Conceding that the latter half of the 18th century holds little of true literary value besides the works of Fanny Burney, Ernest Baker nevertheless finds that the period "teems with interest": the public's demand for fiction and the rapidly increasing production of novels reshaped the book market, and "writers who were poor novelists but persons of strong views or feelings" spawned various subgenres worthy of exploration.