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Romanticism and Revolution: A Reader
"Romanticism and Revolution: A Reader"presents an anthology of the key texts that both defined the debate over the French Revolution during the 1790s and influenced the Romantic authors. Presents readings chronologically to allow readers to experience the unfolding of the debate as it occurred in the 1790sProvides an accessible and in-depth sampling of the major contributors to the Revolution debate, from Price, Burke, and Paine to Wollstonecraft and Godwin
- GenresRomanticismNonfiction
224 pages, Hardcover
First published December 7, 2010
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October 17, 2017
I’m trying super hard not to go offline at the moment. I’ve slipped here and there for a few days though the only way I can maintain a regular presence whilst I’m studying for my masters is if I review much of what I’m reading for it. Not a bad thing for sure! This one here is an anthology of the political pamphlets I’ve been going on about over the last week or so.
The 1790s was a decade of uncertainty and political divisions. After the Bastille was stormed in 1789 the rest of Europe looked on with bated breath. In England Richard Price, an admirer of the American war for independence became enamoured by the early stages of the French Revolution: he saw, what he termed, the corrupt monarchs imprisoned and thrown down, and longed for the same in his own beloved country. He believed it would spread and set the world free.
Burke, on the other hand, in his conservatism pre-warned his readers of the disasters that would befall the French. He wrote openly against Price and called his ideas naïve because they spoke of freedom before seeing the results of the revolution. He staunchly argued that England did not need a revolution because the country was prospering. He also considered the pulpit a poor place for politics. His arguments were wordy and often and leaned towards overindulgent elegance which stretched the truth, something both Paine and Wollstonecraft would criticize him for.
Both in favour of the revolution, they would criticise Burke’s Reflections with frustrated clarity. Pain was quite taken with the idea of revolution, but only if it was to achieve equal rights for men. Wollstonecraft would offer a realistic and tempered approach, one that favoured time rather than rash action. William Godwin offered the most developed critique and provided a developed utopian future full of optimism.
So this edition is a good bit of editing. It cut the crap out of the full works and focused on the key themes and ideas. It’s good if you want an overview of the works in question, but if you want the full picture it is, of course, better to read pieces in full.
The 1790s was a decade of uncertainty and political divisions. After the Bastille was stormed in 1789 the rest of Europe looked on with bated breath. In England Richard Price, an admirer of the American war for independence became enamoured by the early stages of the French Revolution: he saw, what he termed, the corrupt monarchs imprisoned and thrown down, and longed for the same in his own beloved country. He believed it would spread and set the world free.
Burke, on the other hand, in his conservatism pre-warned his readers of the disasters that would befall the French. He wrote openly against Price and called his ideas naïve because they spoke of freedom before seeing the results of the revolution. He staunchly argued that England did not need a revolution because the country was prospering. He also considered the pulpit a poor place for politics. His arguments were wordy and often and leaned towards overindulgent elegance which stretched the truth, something both Paine and Wollstonecraft would criticize him for.
Both in favour of the revolution, they would criticise Burke’s Reflections with frustrated clarity. Pain was quite taken with the idea of revolution, but only if it was to achieve equal rights for men. Wollstonecraft would offer a realistic and tempered approach, one that favoured time rather than rash action. William Godwin offered the most developed critique and provided a developed utopian future full of optimism.
So this edition is a good bit of editing. It cut the crap out of the full works and focused on the key themes and ideas. It’s good if you want an overview of the works in question, but if you want the full picture it is, of course, better to read pieces in full.
Displaying 1 of 1 review