Overturning the common characterization of seventeenth-century English prose romance as an exhausted, imitative genre with little bearing on the evolution of the novel, this book argues for the centrality of seventeenth-century romance in key political and moral philosophical debates of its time.  Concentrating especially on the intersection between romance and the late humanist problem of self-interest, the book discerns the deeply moral philosophical aspect of prose romances from Sidney’s Arcadia, through Wroth’s Urania and Barclay’s Argenis, to the dozen or so now little-known Royalist romances from the mid-seventeenth century. The book will be of particular interest to scholars and students of the history of prose fiction and the novel, early modern women’s writing, and those concerned with the political valences of genre and the intersections between literature and moral philosophy.

"This is a brilliant and theoretically sophisticated account of the centrality of romance to early modern culture. Taking issue with the canonical work of Patterson and McKeon, Zurcher shows how romance diagnoses the perils and ultimate impasse of the newly dominant idiom of self-interest in politics and morality and, in doing so, anticipates certain aspects of modern ethical theory.”--Victoria Kahn, Professor of English, University of California at Berkeley
 
"This is a very intelligent study, with an approach that is largely chronological, beginning with Sidney's Arcadia and Mary Wroth's Urania, then focusing on Barclay's Argenis, followed by a number of mid-century and Restoration romances, so as to trace the point at which, because of the different context of the Restoration, the genre becomes exhausted. Zurcher has read widely in romance, in French literature, and in recent historical and theoretical writing. Interwoven with the discussion of seventeenth-century ethics is some discussion of twentieth-century authors who have written on self-interest. She ends by briefly suggesting that the study of the seventeenth century romance may make a contribution to twenty-first century ethical thought. This is a welcome contribution to the field."--Lois Potter, Ned B. Allen Professor of English, University of Delaware