Romanticism at the End of History

The Romantics lived through a turn of the century that, like our own, seemed to mark an end to history as it had long been understood. They faced accelerated change, including unprecedented state power, armies capable of mass destruction, a polyglot imperial system, and a market economy driven by speculation. In Romanticism at the End of History, Jerome Christensen challenges the prevailing belief that the Romantics were reluctant to respond to social injustice. Through provocative and searching readings of the poetry of Wordsworth; the poems, criticism, and journalism of Coleridge; the Confessions of De Quincey; and Sir Walter Scott's Waverley, Christensen concludes that during complicated times of war and revolution English Romantic writers were forced to redefine their role as artists.

The Romantics lived through a turn of the century that, like our own, seemed to mark anend to history as it had long been understood. They faced accelerated change, including unprecedented state power, armies capable of mass destruction, a polyglot imperial system, and a market economy driven by speculation. In Romanticism at the End of History, Jerome Christensen challenges the prevailing belief that the Romantics were reluctant to respond to social injustice. Through provocative and searching readings of the poetry of Wordsworth; the poems, criticism, and journalism of Coleridge; the Confessions of De Quincey; and Sir Walter Scott's Waverley, Christensen concludes that during complicated times of war and revolution English Romantic writers were forced to redefine their role as artists. Frequently spellbinding and often wonderfully suggestive." Hugh Roberts, European Romantic Review serious emergent critical idioms, has written a brilliant book as timely and intellectually demanding as one would expect." Paul Hamilton, British Association for Romantic Studies Bulletin and Review . . This book bravely and passionately asserts the contemporary relevance of the utopian impulse in 'Romantic' writing without falling prey to its ideological posturing." Michael John Kooy, Modern Language Review encountered in a long time: criticism that unabashedly loves its subject." Frank McConnell, University of California, Santa Barbara Author Bio:Jerome Christensen is chair of the English Department at the Univeristy of California, Irvine. He is also the author of Lord Byron's Strength: Romantic Writing and Commercial Society, also available from Johns Hopkins.

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The Romantics lived through a turn of the century that seemed to mark an end to history as it had been understood. This study reconsiders how English Romantic writers defined their relationship to radical social and political changes. In a revisionary account of the way first-generation Romantics responded to the crisis of revolution and war, the author identifies the emergence of an anthropological imagination that conceived of poetry as the notation of differences that escaped the impasse of England versus France. The author teaches English at Vanderbilt University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Jerome Christensen is chair of the English Department at the Univeristy of California, Irvine. He is also the author of Lord Byron's Strength: Romantic Writing and Commercial Society, also available from Johns Hopkins.