English Literature in History, 1780-1830: Pastoral and Politics

First published in 1983, English Literature in History, 1780-1830 is an original and provocative study of the literature of the Romantic period with an introduction by Raymond Williams. Roger Sales concentrates his analysis on two related themes. The first, the politics of pastoral, analyses the use of this genre by both established writers and poets who were enormously popular in their time, but who are now less well known. The author argues that all literary treatments of rural society in this period make political statements, particularly when they displace or disguise the economic facts of life. His second theme, the theatre of politics, introduces the reader to some of the main political events of the period, and demonstrates how their form and presentation can illuminate some of the literature of the period. This book will be of interest to students and teachers of English literature.