Writing of Urban Histories in Eighteenth-Century England

Zusatztext by analysing the addresses of subscribers to urban histories, Sweet is able to quantify the surprisingly various degrees of local interest in local publications. Historians of provincial printing and publication will find this book exceptionally valuable ... Sweet's book is admirably respectful of its subject-matter, and presents a cogent argument for why the provinces, and their historians, should be proud of themselves. Klappentext This book uses the genre of urban histories to examine aspects of culture, society, and politics in eighteenth-century towns in England, and deals with questions of civic pride and the creation of urban identity. Urban history and antiquarian scholarship were popular pursuits amongst polite society, and their study offers a unique insight into the cultural history of the period. Zusammenfassung This book examines a hitherto neglected genre of literature, and provides an analysis of both eighteenth-century urban culture and local historical scholarship. Rosemary Sweet challenges the conventional view that by the eighteenth century antiquarian studies had stagnated and lost their vigour. On the contrary, positive advances were made in the field of local history and medieval scholarship. Dr Sweet shows how a sense of the past was crucial not only in instilling civic pride and shaping a sense of community, but also in informing contests for power and influence in the local community. Urban histories, she argues, were not merely part of a homogenizing polite culture, emanating out of London: they owe far more to local traditions, particularly those fostered by urban chronicles. They are proof of the continued strength of civic feeling and provincial loyalties in this period. With its comprehensive survey of the work of local historians, this study adds significantly to our knowledge of urban improvement and the ethos of local history, and will also provide an important insight into the nature of civil society in eighteenth-century England....

Product details

• Authors: Rosemary Sweet, Rosemary (Junior Research Fellow Sweet, Sweet Rosemary
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.06.1997
• EAN: 9780198206699
• ISBN: 978-0-19-820669-9
• No. of pages: 368
• Series: Oxford Historical Monographs; Oxford Historical Monographs
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; England, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, European History, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / Georgian Era (1714-1837), HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / Victorian Era (1837-1901), 19th century, c 1800 to c 1899, 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, British & Irish history, Social and cultural history, C 1700 To C 1800