1st Edition

Liberty and Poetics in Eighteenth Century England

By Michael Meehan Copyright 1986
202 Pages
by Routledge

202 Pages
by Routledge

202 Pages
by Routledge

The qualities and achievements of eighteenth century English literature have suffered denigration as a result of a prevailing Whig interpretation of literary history. It is the contention of this book, originally published in 1986, that an alternative form of Whig interpretation is possible and even desirable. It has as its sphere of interest the ways in which views on the nature and benefits of... Read more

Preface.  Part 1: Freedom’s Ample Fabric  (a) The Arts and Liberty  (b) Freedom and the National Character  Part 2: The Early Decades  (a) The Third Earl of Shaftesbury  (b) Thomas Blackwell  (c) Mark Akenside  (d) Augustan, Grecian, Gothic  Part 3: David Hume – Turning Points. Part 4: The 1760s and Beyond  (a) Brown and Sheridan  (b) Adam Ferguson  (c) Dr Johnson  Part 5: William Wordsworth.  Conclusion.  Notes.  Index.

Biography

Michael Meehan