The proper organisation of rural communities was central to political and social debates at the turn of the eighteenth century, and featured strongly in the 1790s political polemic that influenced so many Romantic poets and novelists. This book investigates the representation of the rural village and country town in a range of Romantic texts.
'A fresh and perceptive study that will make a wholly positive impact. Simon J. White opens new approaches to the lively field of studies on rural and labouring-class poets of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Robert Burns appears in conversation with Robert Bloomfield and John Clare, and all readers will welcome the book's revisionary stance on topics such as enclosure. Chapter by chapter, Romanticism and the Rural Community deftly moves all of the arguments forward.' Nicholas Roe, University of St Andrews, UK
'White is an incisive commentator who is not afraid to take revisionary perspectives on his subjects, and who supplies detailed historical knowledge to his critical readings. He brings considerable expertise to his readings of Bloomfield, and his chapter on Crabbe will do much I hope to aid the burgeoning resurrection of the poet's reputation. Enthusiasts of Romantic-period rural
writing will find much to enjoy in this book.' Simon J. White, John Clare Society Journal
'White is an incisive commentator who is not afraid to take revisionary perspectives on his subjects, and who supplies detailed historical knowledge to his critical readings. He brings considerable expertise to his readings of Bloomfield, and his chapter on Crabbe will do much I hope to aid the burgeoning resurrection of the poet's reputation. Enthusiasts of Romantic-period rural
writing will find much to enjoy in this book.' Simon J. White, John Clare Society Journal