Eighteenth-century Popular Culture

This collection makes available what was once popular but has long been buried. During the eighteenth century, popular culture assumed a peculiar importance. In the early part of the century, high and low cultures often collided. Later in the century, politeness more and more required the distancing of genteel from vulgar amusements.

This carefully annotated selection rediscovers some of the energies of the low and the vulgar in the period. It examines particular themes (crime, religious enthusiasm, popular politics, for example) by telling particular stories (the career of a notorious criminal, the exploits of a religious sect, John Wilkes and the crowd).

It also illustrates how the very idea of popular culture was formed in the period, providing examples of the ways in which it was discussed both by those who were fearful of it and those who were fascinated by it. Review: Any anthology challenges the reader ... But the real interest of this one, besides its provocative complexity, is the conjunction of the expected (like the passages on Bartholemew Fair) and the unexpected.

Jenny Uglow, TLS, 4 May 2001 fascinating selection of extracts Jenny Uglow, TLS, 4 May 2001 The collection is packed with good things, and is the more interesting because of its unusual construction. Instead of following a thematic or subject approach, the extracts are grouped around particular historical moments between 1700 and 1780. ...

If at first this feels limiting, it actually opens out each area. Jenny Uglow, TLS 4 May 2001 The ripples of interest spread out beyond and behind the text, carried on the waves of commentary and annotation and suggestions for further reading. Jenny Uglow, TLS 4 May 2001