At the turn of the twenty-first century Britain is in a state of change. It is being transformed by the ongoing process of devolution as well as by its increasing multi-ethnicity. At the same time the relationship with the European Union remains controversial. This book charts these transformations in the context of the changes Britain experienced a century ago, at the turn of the twentieth century. Focusing on British politics, culture and literature the articles examine a range of topics, including models of utopian and apocalyptic thought, the contemporary celebrity cult, the state of literary theory in Britain and the recent "boom" in lyrical poetry and the "drama of blood and sperm".
Contents: Authors in this Volume. Susan BASSNETT: Introduction One: Rethinking the Victorian Age. Ulrich BROICH: Introduction Two: English Language and British Literature at the Turn of the Century. Sir Paul LEVER: Britain at the Turn of the Century. Keith ROBBINS: Devolution in Britain: Will the UK Survive? Graham HUGGAN: Virtual Multiculturalism: The Case of Contemporary Britain. Ina SCHABERT: Habeas Corpus: The Return of the Body. Elisabeth BRONFEN: Fault Lines: Catastrophe and Celebrity Culture. Valentine CUNNINGHAM: After Theory: Literary Theory in Britain Now. Christoph BODE: Liminal Projections: Utopian and Apocalyptic Visions, 1790s : 1990s. Andreas HÖFELE: Millennial Shakespeare: Profile of a Cultural Megastar. Ulrich BROICH: A Theatre of Blood and Sperm: New Trends in British Theatre. Werner von KOPPENFELS: A Sad and Angry Consolation: Violence, Mourning and Memory in the Late Poetry of Ted Hughes and Geoffrey Hill. Susan BASSNETT: A Century of Editing: The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1900-1999. Index.
Contents: Authors in this Volume. Susan BASSNETT: Introduction One: Rethinking the Victorian Age. Ulrich BROICH: Introduction Two: English Language and British Literature at the Turn of the Century. Sir Paul LEVER: Britain at the Turn of the Century. Keith ROBBINS: Devolution in Britain: Will the UK Survive? Graham HUGGAN: Virtual Multiculturalism: The Case of Contemporary Britain. Ina SCHABERT: Habeas Corpus: The Return of the Body. Elisabeth BRONFEN: Fault Lines: Catastrophe and Celebrity Culture. Valentine CUNNINGHAM: After Theory: Literary Theory in Britain Now. Christoph BODE: Liminal Projections: Utopian and Apocalyptic Visions, 1790s : 1990s. Andreas HÖFELE: Millennial Shakespeare: Profile of a Cultural Megastar. Ulrich BROICH: A Theatre of Blood and Sperm: New Trends in British Theatre. Werner von KOPPENFELS: A Sad and Angry Consolation: Violence, Mourning and Memory in the Late Poetry of Ted Hughes and Geoffrey Hill. Susan BASSNETT: A Century of Editing: The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1900-1999. Index.