Guess I'm reading books again. Just finished George Gissing's NEW GRUB STREET

It's a book that's shockingly unlike any 19th century British novel I've read before. In my mind, there's a clear divide between 19th century British and French literature. French literature is concerned with the specifics of things: how businesses work, how ordinary people live, and how relationships come together and break apart. Whereas British liter…