Dialectics of Improvement: Scottish Romanticism, 1786-1831

This book explores the relationship between Scottish Romanticism and improvement, offering new insight into the concept and its impact on key aesthetic innovations in the period. It includes case studies across poetry, short fiction, drama, and the novel, and identifies how improvement was involved in shaping Scottish Romanticism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2021
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Scottish Romanticism is a rich and complex literary movement that has been shaped by the concept of improvement. This book explores the nature of Scottish Romanticism through its relationship to improvement, providing new insight into the concept of 'improvement' and advancing current thinking on Scottish Romanticism. It identifies how improvement was involved in key aesthetic innovations in the period, including poetry, short fiction, drama, and the novel.

The book begins by examining the historical context of improvement in Scotland, including the Enlightenment, the Scottish Enlightenment, and the Industrial Revolution. It then explores the ways in which improvement was used as a literary theme in Scottish Romanticism, including the use of characters who are engaged in the process of improvement, the use of natural imagery to represent improvement, and the use of language to convey the sense of progress.

The book then examines the ways in which improvement was involved in key aesthetic innovations in the period. For example, Robert Burns' poetry is characterized by his use of natural imagery to represent improvement, while James Hogg's short fiction is characterized by his use of satire to critique the process of improvement. Walter Scott's novels are characterized by their use of historical settings to represent improvement, while Joanna Baillie's plays are characterized by their use of dialogue to explore the nature of improvement.

The book also examines the ways in which improvement was involved in questions about what literature is and what it can do. For example, literature was seen as a medium of secular belonging, a vehicle of indefinite exchange, an educational tool, or a theoretical guide to history. Improvement was seen as a way to improve society and to make it more prosperous and successful.

However, the book also identifies the negative consequences of improvement. For example, improvement can lead to the exploitation of workers and the destruction of natural resources. It can also lead to the creation of a society that is dominated by a small elite.

In conclusion, Scottish Romanticism is a rich and complex literary movement that has been shaped by the concept of improvement. This book explores the nature of Scottish Romanticism through its relationship to improvement, providing new insight into the concept of 'improvement' and advancing current thinking on Scottish Romanticism. It identifies how improvement was involved in key aesthetic innovations in the period, including poetry, short fiction, drama, and the novel, and examines the ways in which improvement was involved in questions about what literature is and what it can do. While improvement has had positive consequences, it has also had negative consequences, and it is important to consider these consequences when reading Scottish Romanticism.

Weight: 362g
Dimension: 157 x 233 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474441681