British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Preface to Sancho: An Act of Remembrance
Paterson Joseph describes how his research into Black British history led him to write his first play, Sancho: An Act of Remembrance. In this one-man show, Paterson Joseph inhabits the life of Ignatius Sancho, the 18th-century composer,...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Sentiment and Sensibility
This article introduces Richard Brinsley Sheridan and his famous play "The School for Scandal".
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Robinson Crusoe: A World Classic
This article explains how Daniel Defoe came to write Robinson Crusoe, and why the novel and its protagonist have fascinated readers for centuries.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: 'Reason Is but Choosing': Freedom of Thought and John Milton
From his politics and religious writings to "Paradise Lost", this article traces how the life and work of John Milton were guided by the principle of freedom of thought and how in doing so he challenged fundamental aspects of...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Print and Perception
Margaret Cavendish and Katherine Philips both wrote across a range of genres and achieved considerable success in their day. This article explores their different approaches to the difficulties of being a 17th-century female writer.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Voices in the Campaign for Abolition
From the mid 18th century, Africans and people of African descent - many of them former slaves - began to write down their stories. This article describes these writings and assesses their role in the abolition of slavery.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Travel, Trade and the Expansion of the British Empire
In the 17th century, London was at the center of global trade, with goods and individuals arriving in the capital from all over the world. This article looks at how travel, trade, and empire shaped the works of Daniel Defoe, Alexander...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: 'To Lash the Age': John Gay and the Beggar's Opera
This article introduces "The Beggar's Opera" and its many satirical targets, including the court of George I, the politician Robert Walpole, the British legal system, and Italian opera.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: The Turbulent 17th Century
The 17th century was a time of great political and social turmoil in England, marked by civil war and regicide. This article introduces the key events of this period, from the coronation of Charles I to the Glorious Revolution more than...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: The 'Stuff' of Tristram Shandy
Dashes, loops, wiggles, and blanks: this article investigates the visual oddities of Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: The Rover: An Introduction
Aphra Behn's The Rover engages with the social, political, and sexual conditions of the 17th century, as well as with theatrical traditions of carnival and misrule. The article introduces Behn's play and explores how it was first...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: The Rise of the Novel
This article explains how the novel took shape in the 18th century with the works of Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, and Laurence Sterne, and how the book industry responded to the new genre.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: The Rise of Consumerism
With the increasing variety in clothes, food, and household items, shopping became an important cultural activity in the 18th century. This article describes buying and selling during this period and explains the connection between many...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: The Rise of Cities in the 18th Century
Cities expanded rapidly in 18th-century Britain, with people flocking to them for work. This article explores the impact on street life and living conditions in London and the expanding industrial cities of the north.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: The Rape of the Lock: A Darker Mirror
This article shows how Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock progresses from satirizing the foolishness of wealthy young women to exposing the violence that results from unequal power relations, whether between men and women, rich and...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment's emphasis on reason shaped philosophical, political, and scientific discourse from the late 17th to the early 19th century. This article traces the Enlightenment back to its roots in the aftermath of the Civil War, and...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Frances Burney's Account of Her 'Terrible Operation'
The diarist and novelist Frances Burney was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1810 and wrote an account of her 'terrible operation' for her sisters. Jenni Murray considers why this is one of the most courageous pieces of writing she has...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Eve in Milton's Paradise Lost: Poignancy and Paradox
Eve in Paradise Lost is vainly vulnerable and evidently intellectually inferior to Adam. However, Sandra M Gilbert argues that, though Milton portrays her as a weak character, he also puts her on a par with Satan in her refusal to accept...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Britain's Involvement With New World Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
With a focus on the 17th and 18th centuries, this article traces the history of Britain's large-scale involvement in the enslavement of Africans and the transatlantic slave trade.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Andrew Marvell and Politics
Andrew Marvell was a poet, but he was also a politician and a civil servant at a time of tremendous upheaval. This article investigates how Marvell and his writing negotiated the civil wars, Oliver Cromwell's government, and the...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Georgian Entertainment: From Pleasure Gardens to Blood Sports
This article examines the variety of entertainment and leisure activities enjoyed in Georgian Britain.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Johnson's Dictionary: Myths and Realities
David Crystal looks past the myths surrounding Samuel Johnson's Dictionary to discover a work of remarkable precision, sensitivity, and attention to social and regional variation.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: John Dryden's Satiric Poetry
Ashley Marshall suggests that there is more to Dryden's satiric poetry than the expression of high-minded moral values. Trace how Dryden's personal vendettas motivated some of the cruder and more vicious attacks in Mac Flecknoe, and how...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Popular Politics in the 18th Century
Caricatures capturing public opinion and riots on the streets; this article discusses how the majority of Georgians, who didn't have the right to vote, engaged in politics and expressed their grievances.