John Morley and the Uses of History in Victorian Liberal Culture

Marco de Waard's study of John Morley (1838-1923) recovers his status as a prolific and versatile man of letters who shaped the nineteenth century's liberal culture. By situating Morley's work in various contexts, de Waard explores how a distinct nineteenth-century vision and practice of history transformed Britain into a modern liberal culture and reshaped its identity as a liberal nation-state. The book combines a biographical framework with a close analysis of Morley's ideas and activities, focusing on his critical and editorial work, studies of French Enlightenment philosophers, popular biographies, and historical writings on contemporary politics. De Waard challenges the notion that narrative histories were replaced by specialized forms of historical writing in the early-Victorian period and locates Morley's work within the British utilitarian tradition.

Format: Hardback
Length: 270 pages
Publication date: 01 January 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Marco de Waard's comprehensive study of John Morley (1838-1923) reestablishes his reputation as a prolific and versatile writer who significantly influenced the liberal culture of the nineteenth century from the 1860s onwards. By situating Morley's work in various contexts, from religious to professional, de Waard explores how a distinctively nineteenth-century vision and practice of history shaped Britain into a modern liberal culture and reshaped its identity as a liberal nation-state. Drawing on extensive archival research, de Waard's study combines a biographical framework with a close and historically informed analysis of Morley's work and ideas. He pays particular attention to Morley's relationships with influential philosophers such as Auguste Comte, John Stuart Mill, and Herbert Spencer, as well as his friendships with Leslie Stephen, Mark Pattison, George Meredith, and T. H. Huxley. Chapters focus on Morley's activities as a critic and editor of the influential Fortnightly Review, his studies of French Enlightenment philosophers, his use of popular biographies to promote a progressive and democratic understanding of Britain's national past, and his work as an historian of contemporary politics who sought a peaceful resolution to the Irish question as a test case for a modern liberal polity. Significantly, de Waard locates Morley's work firmly within the British utilitarian tradition and challenges the notion that narrative histories of the early-Victorian period were replaced by scientific histories from c. 1860.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781409406013