Poetry and Reform: Periodical Verse from the English Democratic Press, 1792-1824Although the English reform movement was divided ideologically and socially, it was united in its opposition to the aristocratic elite that ruled Britain through a parliament that excluded both the middle and laboring classes. The movement was not just political but cultural as well; its activities included challenging established opinion in every sphere-economics, religion, philosophy, and literature. Poetry and Reform is the only anthology of its kind on poetry from the English reform movement. The volume features 162 poems from twenty-three different periodicals. The poems reflect the cultural vitality of the movement in their intellectual sophistication and defiant rebelliousness. The periodicals and their poets range from moderate liberal to radical socialist, from bourgeois to plebeian. The poems reflect the generic diversity of the period; except for epic, almost every poetic genre is represented here. These poems provide an illuminating context for understanding the major Romantic poets, most of whom wrote for the reform press at some point in their career. The bold Romantic experiments in poetry, which set the agenda for English poetry for decades to come, are unthinkable outside the context of this remarkable democratic insurgence, which increased overall literacy and established an innovative literary spirit. The anthology also makes available to readers a body of poetry" outside the canon" that is valuable in its own terms and that helps us comprehend with greater precision Romantic literary conventions and their origins. Important plebeian poets are introduced, including Allen Davenport, Edward J. Blandford, Robert C. Fair, and Robert Wedderburn. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 12
... weekly was One Penny's Worth of Pig's Meat , which he changed in 1794 to Pig's Meat , or Lessons for the Swinish Multitude . Spence , an active member of the London Corresponding Society , designed his weekly journal to " promote among ...
... week , With unremitting care ; The seventh , he would duly seek The public place of prayer . When Owen at his calling sate , Upon his outspread carpet , A busy sister's harmless chat , Well pleas'd her brother Parfet . No wife had he ...
... weekly profits now were told , And poor became his lot ; His implements of trade were sold ; And customers forgot . The savings of his former days Were all expended soon ; No maintenance he then could raise , And craved the Parish boon ...
Contents
THE REFORM | 7 |
REPRESSIVE AFTERMATH A SONG COMPOSED FOR THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE FRENCH | 37 |
The Patriot 1793 | 61 |
Copyright | |
22 other sections not shown