"Between 1780 and 1830, the growing London population divided into immigrant neighborhoods with two dozen unlicensed theatres tailoring productions to attract and serve this new audience. Playing to the Crowd is the first study of the productions of the minor theatres, how they were adapted to appeal to the local patrons and the audiences who worked and lived in these communities"--

From the artistic practice of improvisation to the politics of nationalism, the essays in this volume break new ground and significantly extend our understanding of the relations between British and Italian culture in its analysis of the reception of Dante and Italian literature in British Romanticism.

This book examines what De Quincy called "psychological criticism," a mode of studying how "literature of power" arouses ideas and images dormant in the subconscious. He explores this "power" by means of an introspective analysis of the effects produced in his own mind by reading Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, and Coleridge. Discussion of De Quincey's critical and narrative prose includes his skilled re-writing of a German forgery of a Waverley novel, as well as such better known works as "Suspiria de Profundis," "Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts," "On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth," "The English Mail-Coach," and "Wordsworth's Poetry." New insight into each of these works is provided by drawing on a wealth of previously unpublished manuscripts.

Historical Narrative Offers Introduction to Romanticism by Placing Key Figures in Overall Social Context Going beyond the general literary survey, A History of Romantic Literature examines the literatures of sensibility and intensity as well as the aesthetic dimensions of horror and terror, sublimity and ecstasy, by providing a richly integrated account of shared themes, interests, innovations, rivalries and disputes among the writers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Drawing from the assemblage theory, Prof. Burwick maintains that the literature of the period is inseparable from prevailing economic conditions and ongoing political and religious turmoil, as well as developments in physics, astronomy, music and art. Thus, rather than deal with authors as if they worked in isolation from society, he identifies and describes their interactions with their communities and with one another, as well as their responses to current events. By connecting seemingly scattered and random events such as the bank crisis of 1825, he weaves the coincidental into a coherent narrative of the networking that informed the rise and progress of Romanticism. Notable features of the book include: A strong narrative structure divided into four major chronological periods: Revolution, 1789-1798; Napoleonic Wars, 1799-1815; Riots, 1815-1820; Reform, 1821-1832 Thorough coverage of major and minor figures and institutions of the Romantic movement (including Mary Wollstonecraft, Elizabeth Montague and the Bluestockings, Lord Byron, John Keats, Letitia Elizabeth Landon etc.) Emphasis on the influence of social networks among authors, such as informal dinners and teas, clubs, salons and more formal institutions With its extensive coverage and insightful analysis set within a lively historical narrative, History of Romantic Literature is highly recommended for courses on British Romanticism at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels. It will also prove a highly useful reference for advanced scholars pursuing their own research.

The first study of the productions of the minor theatres, how they were adapted to appeal to the local patrons and the audiences who worked and lived in these communities.

From the artistic practice of improvisation to the politics of nationalism, the essays in this volume break new ground and significantly extend our understanding of the relations between British and Italian culture in its analysis of the reception of Dante and Italian literature in British Romanticism.

This book examines what De Quincey called 'psychological criticism', a mode of studying how 'literature of power' arouses ideas and images dormant in the subconscious. He explores this 'power' by means of an introspective analysis of the effects produced in his own mind by reading Shakespeare and Milton, Wordsworth and Coleridge. Discussion of De Quincey's critical and narrative prose includes his skilled rewriting of a German forgery of a Waverly novel, as well as such better known works as 'Suspiria de Profundis', Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts.' 'On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth', 'The English Mail-Coach,' and 'Wordsworth's Poetry.' New insight into each of these works is provided by drawing on a wealth of previously unpublished manuscripts.

Compiles 70 of the key terms most frequently used or discussed by authors of the Romantic period and most often deliberated by critics and literary historians of the era. * Offers an indispensable resource for understanding the ideas and differing interpretations that shaped the Romantic period * Includes keywords spanning Abolition and Allegory, through Madness and Monsters, to Vision and Vampires * Features in-depth descriptions of each entry s direct meaning and connotations in relation to its usage and thought in literary culture * Provides deep insights into the political, social, and cultural climate of one of the most expressive periods of Western literary history * Draws on the author s extensive experience of teaching, lecturing, and writing on Romantic literature