This varied, unusual selection of short stories presents Victorian love in all its moods. Covering a period that embraces both Elizabeth Gaskell and Somerset Maugham, these stories range from the sentimental to the satiric, the crudely realistic to the perplexed, the mystical, and the rapturous. The lovers include a shopkeeper and an aristocrat, an actress, a governess, Americans abroad, a seaweed gatherer, and a pair of herons. Self-sacrifice and adultery figure prominently in these pages, as Victorian writers explored the nature of relationships at a time when women's growing independence brought traditional roles and assumptions into question. These stories confound expectations by recasting the familiar genres of fable, fairy tale, and naturalism to deal with these new themes, as well as demonstrating the experimentation taking place with the short story form. Victorian Love Stories also contains an inclusive array of voices and perspectives; alongside the well-known work of Trollope and Hardy one finds equally powerful stories by Lucy Clifford, Hubert Crackenthorpe, and Ellen T. Fowler. Displaying the complexity of love and the inventiveness of Victorian fiction Victorian Love Stories is the perfect gift for any lover of Victoriana--or any lover.