The Cambridge Cultural History of Britain: Volume 6, The Romantic Age in Britain - Boris Ford

This generously illustrated book is a comprehensive survey of the arts in Britain during the period 1785 to 1851. Uniquely, it also reveals the cultural and social setting in which the writers, musicians, architects and artists of the age worked. This period was one of transformation, characterised by the growth of industry, new scientific discoveries and inventions, an upsurge in population and the emergence of a new bourgeoisie and working class. In the arts, Blake, Keats, Wordsworth, Turner, Constable and Nash were prominent, while the cult of Handel flourished in musical circles. The novel flowered with Jane Austen, Dickens and Scott, and British crafts and manufacturing design went on show in the Great Exhibition as products of 'the workshop of the world'. An introductory chapter offers a cultural and social backdrop to the period. Fully illustrated chapters follow, written by foremost specialists. One major branch of the arts is explored in each. Special topics include the transformation of the British countryside by the Enclosure movement, and the founding of the Athenaeum Club in London. This is a unique bringing-together in a single volume of all the main strands of creative life of the Romantic age in Britain.