British Jacobin Politics, Desires, and Aftermaths: Seditious Hearts

This book explores the hopes, desires, and imagined futures of British radicalism in the 1790s and the resurfacing of this sense of possibility in the following decades. It emphasizes the performative aspects of political culture and the spaces in which mobilization and expression occurred, such as the club room, tavern, coffeehouse, street, outdoor meeting, theater, chapel, courtroom, prison, and convict ship. The relationship between popular radicals and the Romantics is also explored.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 388 pages
Publication date: 29 August 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This captivating book delves into the vibrant realm of British radicalism during the 1790s, unearthing the profound hopes, desires, and imagined futures that characterized this era. It explores the resurgence of this sense of possibility in the subsequent decades, tracing the intricate interplay between "Jacobin" sentiments and the emotional investments of individuals inspired by the French Revolution. The authors emphasize the performative aspects of political culture, highlighting the spaces where mobilization and expression took place, including the club room, tavern, coffeehouse, street, outdoor meetings, theater, chapel, courtroom, prison, and convict ship.

America, envisioned as a site of republican citizenship, and New South Wales, experienced as a space of political exile, expanded the horizons of radical dreaming. Part 1 delves into the political culture shaped by the shifting influence of the French Revolution, while Part 2 explores the enduring legacies of British Jacobinism in the year 1817, through early Chartist memorialization of the Scottish "martyrs" of 1794, and in the writings of E. P. Thompson. The book also explores the intriguing relationship between popular radicals and the Romantics, engaging in a dialogue that transcends disciplinary boundaries in British history and literary studies.

This volume captures the effervescent yearning of the revolutionary decades and its unruly persistence in the years that followed, offering a rich and multifaceted perspective on a pivotal period in British history.

Weight: 420g
Dimension: 228 x 152 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367700133