Patriotism and Poetry in Eighteenth-Century Britain

Publisher Description (unedited publisher data) The poetry of the mid and late eighteenth century has long been regarded as primarily private and apolitical; in this wide-ranging study Dustin Griffin argues that in fact the poets of the period were addressing the great issues of national life - rebellion at home, imperial wars abroad, an expanding commercial empire, an emerging new 'British' national identity. Taking up the topic of patriotic verse, Griffin shows that the poets, like many contemporary essayists, sermon writers, and political journalists, were engaged in the century-long debate about the nature of 'true patriotism'. Griffin argues that canonical figures - James Thomson, William Collins, Thomas Gray, Christopher Smart, Oliver Goldsmith, William Cowper - along with less canonical writers such as Mark Akenside, John Dyer, and Ann Yearsley ask how poets might serve and even save their country, and take their place in a broader tradition of patriotic verse. Library of Congress subject headings for this publication: English poetry 18th century History and criticism, Politics and literature Great Britain History 18th century, Patriotism Great Britain History 18th century, Political poetry, English History and criticism, Patriotism in literature.