A selective bibliography of open access articles on eighteenth century British literature, favoring signed articles by recognized scholars, articles published in reviewed sources, and web sites that adhere to the Modern Language Association Guidelines for Authors of Web Pages
Norton Anthology Introduction to the Eighteenth Century contains brief chapters on the cultural and political context, including the slave trade and the expanding British empire.
A feature page on the Restoration from the BBC for a basic introduction to the period 1660-1713.
A feature page on the Georgians from the BBC for a basic introduction to the period 1714-1837.
Britain and the French Revolution, by Dr Mark Philp. Basic cultural and historical background, from the BBC.
Cavalier and Puritan, from the Cambridge History of English and American Literature. Older literary history, but worthwhile.
The Age of Dryden, from the Cambridge History of English and American Literature. Older literary history, but worthwhile.
From Steele and Addison to Pope and Swift, from the Cambridge History of English and American Literature. Older literary history, but worthwhile.
The Age of Johnson, from the Cambridge History of English and American Literature. Older literary history, but worthwhile.
The Period of the French Revolution, from the Cambridge History of English and American Literature. Older literary history, but worthwhile.
18th century dancing, an extended essay on social dance traditions in eighteenth century England, part of a web site focusing on the history of English country dancing.
18th Century Evangelical Revival in England, a short history from an Anglican church site in Jakarta.
Primitivism in the Eighteenth Century, from the Dictionary of the History of Ideas
Article discusses the revisionist thesis in Jonathan Clark's English Society in 1985, (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1985) Clark counters the traditional view of 18th century England that emphasized its constitutional traditions, parliamentary government, the rule of law, and religious toleration. In Clark, England is presented "less as a liberal society than as an ancien regime, similar in many ways to the absolutist societies of the continent." By Professor Frank O'Gorman, for Institute of Historical Research.
A review of Fashioning Masculinity: National Identity and Language in the Eighteenth Century, by Michèle Cohen (Routledge, 1996); Reviewer: Robert B. Shoemaker. History in Focus, 8 (Spring 2005)
Review of Romantic Genius: The Prehistory of a Homosexual Role, by Andrew Elfenbein. NY: Columbia University Press, 1999. Reviewed by Petra Dierkes-Thrun for RMMLA
Two books reviewed. Elfenbein, Andrew. Romantic Genius: The Prehistory of a Homosexual Role, Columbia University Press, 1999 and Haney, David P. The Challenge of Coleridge: Ethics and Interpretation in Romanticism and Modern Philosophy Pennsylvania State University Press, 2001 Reviewed by Margaret Russett, University of Southern California. In New Books in Nineteenth-Century Studies.
Review of Romanticism and Gender, by Anne K. Mellor. New York: Routledge, 1993, reviewed by Diane Long Hoeveler, Marquette University
Review of An Oxford Companion to the Romantic Age: British Culture 1776-1832. Ed., Iain McCalman. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999, reviewed by Alex Benchimol for Romantic Circles, 2000.
Oxford Univ. bibliography Modern History: Politics, Reform, and Imperial Crisis 1774-1784.
Basic Bibliography for Romanticism and Romantic Authors, from graduate student Elizabeth Whitney.
Extended Bibliography for Romanticism and Romantic Authors, from Professor Nicholas Hamli.
18th century history reading list, from Michael Zell, Univ. of Greenwich.
Oxford Univ. bibliography Modern History: Politics, Reform, and Imperial Crisis 1774-1784.
c18 Bibliographies On-Line, general editor Jack Lynch, Rutgers University, has bibliographies of many eighteenth century literary figures, which are well-organized and sometimes annotated (removed from http://www.c18.rutgers.edu/biblio/)
updated 5/19/2005 | 2005-2007 by Donna J. Pridmore