Eighteen Hundred and Eleven: Poetry, Protest and Economic Crisis

During England's economic collapse and revolution in 1811, Anna Letitia Barbauld published a prophecy titled Eighteen Hundred and Eleven, which predicted the nation's ruin due to its refusal to end the war with France. This new study challenges the myth of the poem's hostile reception and explores poetry as a medium of political protest, focusing on the issues of patriotism and public credit and the views of writers such as Coleridge, Wordsworth, Southey, and Barbauld herself.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 327 pages
Publication date: 20 December 2018
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

In 1811, England teetered on the precipice of economic collapse and revolution. The renowned poet and campaigner Anna Letitia Barbauld released a prophecy, titled "Eighteen Hundred and Eleven," that envisioned the British nation reduced to ruins due to its refusal to conclude the endless war with France. This groundbreaking new study challenges the notion surrounding the poem's hostile reception and utilizes a remarkable episode from the Romantic-era culture as a lens for exploring poetry as a vehicle for political protest. Clery delves into the critical issues at hand, encompassing the nature of patriotism and the threat to public credit. By centering the inquiry on a woman writer, a revised perspective on the politics of Romanticism emerges.

The poem "Eighteen Hundred and Eleven" was met with a range of reactions upon its publication. While some critics praised Barbauld's boldness and her critique of British foreign policy, others dismissed it as overly pessimistic and unrealistic. However, the poem's significance has grown over time, and it is now recognized as a powerful expression of anti-war sentiment and a foreshadowing of the events that would lead to the outbreak of the First World War.

One of the key themes in "Eighteen Hundred and Eleven" is the idea of patriotism. Barbauld argues that true patriotism is not blind allegiance to one's country, but rather a commitment to promoting the values and ideals that one believes in. She criticizes the British government for pursuing a policy of aggression and expansionism, which she believes is detrimental to the interests of both Britain and its allies.

Another theme in the poem is the threat to public credit. Barbauld argues that the endless war with France was not only costly in terms of human lives and resources, but also threatened the stability of the British economy. She warns that if the government continued to engage in military conflicts without a clear objective, it would undermine the confidence of investors and creditors, leading to a financial crisis and potentially even a revolution.

Barbauld's poem also sheds light on the views and activities of a wide range of writers, including radical, loyalist, and dissenting journalists, poets, and philosophers. She includes references to figures such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Thomas De Quincey, all of whom were influential in the Romantic-era cultural movement.

Through her analysis of these writers and their responses to the war, Barbauld reveals the complex and multifaceted nature of the Romantic-era cultural movement. She highlights the diversity of opinions and the range of strategies that writers employed to express their political beliefs and advocate for change.

In conclusion, "Eighteen Hundred and Eleven" is a seminal work of Romantic-era literature that continues to resonate with readers today. Through its combination of historical research and incisive textual analysis, the poem challenges the notion of patriotism and the threat to public credit and provides a revised perspective on the politics of Romanticism. By centering the inquiry on a woman writer, Barbauld's poem opens up a new avenue for exploring the role of women in the cultural and political movements of the Romantic era.

Weight: 474g
Dimension: 153 x 228 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781316638859