Romanticism, Economics and the Question of 'Culture'

'Fascinating and immensely learned...omanticism, Economics and the Question of 'Culture' is an important book. It is virtually alone in surveying this crucial but neglected field... will set the benchmark against which all future literary scholarship on this subject will be judged.' -The Review of English Studies'Marvellously rich and nuanced... bound to be a standard reference for years to come. Connell starts so many highly suggestive arguments that it is hard to know in a review which to select.' -British Association for Romantics Studies Bulletin and Review'Thoughtful and intricate study.' -History'His book cannot be ignored by anyone addressing the tangled but stimulating question of the relationship between English literature and politics in the Romantic period.' -Times Literary Supplement'The depth of the discussion of Wordsworth is characteristic of Connell's excellent book, which does not only examine the older generation of English Romantic poets; one of the most interesting chapters analyses the ambiguous relationship between the 'Hunt school' of younger radical Romantic writers, including Keats and Shelley, and the utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham and his followers.' -Times Literary SupplementThe Romantic age in Britain formed one of the most celebrated moments in literary history, but it also witnessed the rise of 'political economy' as the most prestigious science of nineteenth-century capitalist society. Romanticism, Economics and the Question of 'Culture' investigates this historical conjunction, and challenges the influential idea that Romantic writers such as Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Shelley were implacably opposed to the abstract, individualistic view of human nature embodied in the new science of economics. This book is interdisciplinary in its scope and methods. It will be of interest to teachers and students of both English Literature and History.