Cambridge Edition of the Correspondence of Daniel Defoe

This comprehensive and authoritative edition of the correspondence of Daniel Defoe situates each letter in its biographical, literary, and historical contexts. A unique source for a turbulent period of British history, Defoe's correspondence spans topics including the first age of party marked by Tory and Whig rivalry, religious tensions between the Church and Dissenters, the uncertainty of the monarchical succession, the birth of Great Britain and its establishment as a global empire, and the use of the press to mould public opinion. As well as an introduction discussing Defoe's epistolary habits and the distinctive features of his letters, headnotes and annotations explain each document's occasion, beginning in 1703 with Defoe hunted by the government for sedition, and ending in 1730 with him again in hiding, fleeing creditors months before his death. The volume is illustrated with examples of Defoe's letters, offering a fresh window onto Defoe's manuscript habits.

List of contents

List of Figures; Acknowledgements; Editorial Principles and Practice; Chronology; Conventions and Abbreviations; Calendar of Letters; Introduction; The Letters I; Select Bibliography; Index.

Summary

This is the standard, authoritative edition of Defoe's letters, vital for historians, literary scholars, and students of the late seventeenth and eighteenth century. Including full biographical, literary, and historical information, this edition offers a unique picture of the writer who arguably created the modern novel and political journalism.

Product details

• Authors: Daniel Defoe, Defoe Daniel
• Assisted by: Nicholas Seager (Editor), Seager Nicholas (Editor), Marc Mierowsky (Co-editor), Andreas K. E. Mueller (Co-editor), Mueller Andreas K. E. (Co-editor)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.08.2022
• EAN: 9781107133099
• ISBN: 978-1-107-13309-9
• No. of pages: 1014
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Modern era up to 1918; History, HISTORY / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology, c 1500 onwards to present day, Archaeology, Literary studies: general, History and Archaeology, Modern Period, C 1500 Onwards