Radical Voices, Radical Ways Articulating and Disseminating Radicalism in Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-century Britain

This collection of essays studies the expression and diffusion of radical ideas in Britain from the period of the English Revolution in the mid-seventeenth century to the Romantic Revolution in the early nineteenth century. It covers almost two hundred years of radical history and literature and aims to establish transnational parallels as well as trace transhistorical continuities between forms and vehicles of radicalism. The essays included in the volume explore the modes of articulation and dissemination of radical ideas in the period by focusing on actors ('radical voices') and a variety of written texts and cultural practices ('radical ways'), ranging from fiction, correspondence, pamphlets and newspapers to petitions presented to Parliament and toasts raised in public. They analyse the way these media interacted with their political, religious, social and literary context. In addition to benefiting from recent academic research, this volume provides a markedly interdisciplinary outlook on the study of early modern radicalism, with contributions from literary scholars and historians, and relies on cross-fertilisation between disciplines and scholarly approaches. It uses case studies as insights into the global picture of radical ideas. By exploring the ways in which radical voices engaged with forms and means of expression, the essays offer a sense of the complexity of radical communication in early modern England. It is hoped that they will contribute to a reappraisal of the concept of radicalism with reference to its modes of diffusion. This volume will be of interest to students of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century literature and history.