Literature, identity, and the English Channel : narrow seas expanded

This book concerns the significance of the English Channel in British and French literature from the 1780s onwards: a timely subject given the intense debates in progress about the actual and desired relationships between Britain and mainland Europe. The book addresses contemporary authors who use the Channel as a focus for cultural comment, comparing their approaches to those of earlier writers, from Charlotte Smith and Chateaubriand through Hugo and Dickens to historians and travel writers of the 1950s and 1980s.

Rainsford (English, U. of Aarhus, Denmark) discusses the literary and cultural meanings of the English Channel from the time of the French Revolution to the beginning of the 21st century. In the process, the author provides an expanded cultural context for contemplating relations between Britain and France (as well as the Continent more generally). Texts examined include both well-known and obscure novels, travel narratives, poems, and other works. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

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Rainsford (English, U. of Aarhus, Denmark) discusses the literary and cultural meanings of the English Channel from the time of the French Revolution to the beginning of the 21st century. In the process, the author provides an expanded cultural context for contemplating relations between Britain and France (as well as the Continent more generally). Texts examined include both well-known and obscure novels, travel narratives, poems, and other works. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"Literature, Identity and the English Channel examines representations of the Channel in British and French literature from the French Revolution onwards. This is a timely subject given the intense debates in progress about the actual and desired relationships between Britain and mainland Europe. The book addresses a wide range of authors who have taken the Channel as a focus, from Charlotte Smith and Chateaubriand through Dickens, Swinburne and Hugo, writers of the First and Second World Wars, and historians and travel writers of the 1950s and 1960s, to postmodern fiction of the 1990s."--BOOK JACKET Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgement......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 1 Romantic Promontories......Page 19 2 All at Sea......Page 55 3 Les Fleurs du mal de mer......Page 97 4 Modernity in Transit......Page 128 Conclusion: In Between......Page 164 The English Channel / La Manche: A Cultural Chronology, 1778-2001......Page 169 Notes......Page 178 Index......Page 197