British Romanticism and Continental Influences : Writing in an Age of Europhobia

During the 1790s and 1800s, cultural critics became convinced that Britain was being 'inundated' by pernicious literary translations imported from the European Continent. British Romanticism and Continental Influences discusses Romantic writers' complex and ambivalent responses to this threatening literary invasion. Confronted with foreign texts that seemed both attractive and repulsive, Mortensen argues, Romantic writers such as Wordsworth and Coleridge publicly distanced themselves from European sensationalism, even as they assimilated and revised its conventions in their own writing. During The 1790s And 1800s Cultural Critics Became Convinced That Britain Was Being 'flooded', 'deluged' Or 'inundated' By Pernicious Literary Translations Imported From The European Continent. Evoking A Rhetoric Of Paranoid Europhobia, British Wartime Commentators Routinely Stigmatized Popular Foreign Writers Like Burger, Schiller, Kotzebue And Rousseau Not Merely As Political Dissenters, But As Enemies Of All Civilization And Ultimately As Satanic Rebels Against God. British Romanticism And Continental Influences Discusses Some First-generation Romantic Writers' Ambivalent Responses To The Scandalous Products Of European Pre-romanticism. Celebrated Poets And Novelists Such As Wordsworth, Coleridge, Scott And Austen Vocally Denounced Continental Texts And Writers For Deliberately Demoralizing Vulnerable British Readers. Yet, Paradoxically, The Same Prominent Figures (as Well As A Host Of Lesser Names) Also Flirted Dangerously With The Foreign, Borrowing Paraphernalia From Those Non-british Writers Whose Influence They Claimed To Counteract. This Book Centres On British Romantic Writers' Complex Transactions With Those Outlandish Texts Which Both Attracted And Repulsed Them, And Which They Both Imitated And Revised. Confronted With The Perceived Abominations Of Illicit And Non-conformist Writing, Mortensen Argues, The Romantic Writers Publicly Distanced Themselves From European Sensationalism, Even As They Assimilated Its Conventions In Their Own Discourse.--jacket. 'sickly And Stupid German Tragedies' -- 'we Know That The Enemy Is Working Among Us' : The Rhetoric Of Romantic Europhobia -- 'dethroning German Sublimity' : Outrageous Stimulation In Romantic Ballad-writing -- 'il Est Devenue Classique En Angleterre' : Some Versions Of Romantic (anti- )pastoral -- 'partizans Of The German Theatre' : The Poetics And Politics Of Romantic Dramatic Translation -- 'the Descent Of Odin' : Romantic Writers Among The Norsemen. Peter Mortensen. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 208-224) And Index. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 8 Introduction: 'Sickly and Stupid German Tragedies'......Page 10 From Burke to the Anti-Jacobin......Page 28 William Preston's 'Reflections'......Page 42 2 'Dethroning German Sublimity': Outrageous Stimulation in Romantic Ballad-Writing......Page 52 Stanley's Leonora......Page 56 Coleridge's 'Rime of the Ancyent Marinere'......Page 65 Wordsworth's 'Hart-Leap Well'......Page 75 Lewis's Tales of Wonder......Page 86 3 'Il Est Devenue Classique en Angleterre': Some Versions of Romantic (Anti-)Pastoral......Page 104 Saint-Pierre's Paul et Virginie......Page 107 Cobb's Paul and Virginia......Page 114 Edgeworth's Belinda......Page 121 Imlay's The Emigrants......Page 131 4 'Partizans of the German Theatre': The Poetics and Politics of Romantic Dramatic Translation......Page 143 Scott's Goetz......Page 149 Lawrence's Gortz......Page 160 Craven's The Robbers......Page 164 Holman's The Red-Cross Knights......Page 173 5 'The Descent of Odin': Romantic Writers among the Norsemen......Page 182 Percy's Five Pieces and Mallet's Northern Antiquities......Page 183 Wordsworth's 'The Danish Boy'......Page 189 Herbert's Select Icelandic Poetry......Page 193 Scott's Harold the Dauntless......Page 202 Southey's 'The Race of Odin'......Page 212 Notes and References......Page 217 C......Page 234 G......Page 235 L......Page 236 R......Page 237 S......Page 238 Z......Page 239 Cover 1 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 8 Introduction: 'Sickly and Stupid German Tragedies' 10 1 'We Know that the Enemy is Working among Us': The Rhetoric of Romantic Europhobia 28 From Burke to the Anti-Jacobin 28 William Preston's 'Reflections' 42 2 'Dethroning German Sublimity': Outrageous Stimulation in Romantic Ballad-Writing 52 Stanley's Leonora 56 Coleridge's 'Rime of the Ancyent Marinere' 65 Wordsworth's 'Hart-Leap Well' 75 Lewis's Tales of Wonder 86 3 'Il Est Devenue Classique en Angleterre': Some Versions of Romantic (Anti-)Pastoral 104 Saint-Pierre's Paul et Virginie 107 Cobb's Paul and Virginia 114 Edgeworth's Belinda 121 Imlay's The Emigrants 131 4 'Partizans of the German Theatre': The Poetics and Politics of Romantic Dramatic Translation 143 Scott's Goetz 149 Lawrence's Gortz 160 Craven's The Robbers 164 Holman's The Red-Cross Knights 173 5 'The Descent of Odin': Romantic Writers among the Norsemen 182 Percy's Five Pieces and Mallet's Northern Antiquities 183 Wordsworth's 'The Danish Boy' 189 Herbert's Select Icelandic Poetry 193 Scott's Harold the Dauntless 202 Southey's 'The Race of Odin' 212 Notes and References 217 Index 234 A 234 B 234 C 234 D 235 E 235 F 235 G 235 H 236 I 236 J 236 K 236 L 236 M 237 N 237 O 237 P 237 Q 237 R 237 S 238 T 239 V 239 W 239 Y 239 Z 239