Non-classics

[cipherdecoy]

We always talk about classics and their timelessness. Just out of curiosity, what about the other books in say, the 19th century that couldn't pass the test of time? For example, books that were very popular but without quality, maybe the Victorian era's Sophie Kinsella or something along that line. Does anyone know of such books? Has anyone managed to obtain any of them?

[EricP]

I read a very early novel called "The Jamaica Lady: Or, The Life of Bavia", written in 1720 by W.P. (only the initials were provided on the original manuscript). Although the writing itself was mediocre at best, the novel is an excellent historical document. The British male characters obsess over the sexuality of the white women in Jamaica, fearing that "the climate" will overpower them and drive them into the arms of the indigenous Jamaican men. A very bizarre theory is present throughout the story: morality and climate zones are connected, and the closer a person is to the equator the less control over their impulses and reason they have. It's worth the read if you ever happen to find it anywhere (I found it in a used bookstore in a compilation called "Four Before Richardson: Selected English Novels, 1720-1727").