The Politics of Disclosure, 1674-1725: Secret History Narratives (Political and Popular Culture in the Early Modern Period)

This Is A Study Of The 'secret History', A Polemical Form Of Historiography Which Flourished In England During The Late Seventeenth And Early Eighteenth Centuries. Secret Histories Promised Their Readers Previously Undiscovered Intelligence About The Covert Actions And Hidden Motives Of Public Figures, Primarily Monarchs, Their Ministers And Their Mistresses. In An Era Of Absolute Rule, Secret Histories Shattered The Aura Of Mystery Which Surrounded The Power Elite. The Secret History Spread Through The Genres And Was Used By Polemicists, Pamphleteers And Novelists From Across The Political Spectrum. Bullard Argues That Secret Histories' Rhetorical Peculiarities Must Be Understood In The Light Of Contemporary Party Politics. As A Form, They Indicate A Sophisticated, Analytical And Politically Engaged Reading Public In Late Stuart And Early Hanoverian England.--publisher's Website. Procopius Of Caesarea And The Secret History Of The Court Of The Emperor Justinian (1674) -- Secret History And Whig Historiography, 1688-1702 -- Secret History, The 'revolution' Of 1714 And The Case Of John Dunton -- Delarivier Manley And Tory Uses Of Secret History -- Secrecy And Secret History In The Spectator (1711-14) -- Daniel Defoe: Harleyite Secret History And The Early Novel -- Eliza Haywood: Secret History, Curiosity And Disappointment. By Rebecca Bullard. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 229-243) And Index. Contents ......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 8 Conventions ......Page 9 Introduction......Page 10 Section 1: Whig Secret History: the Core Tradition......Page 36 1. Procopius of Caesarea and the Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian......Page 38 2. Secret History and Whig Historiography, 1688–1702......Page 54 3. Secret History, the 'Revolution' of 1714 and the Case of John Dunton......Page 72 Section 2: Secret History in the Eighteenth Century......Page 90 4. Delarivier Manley and tory Uses of Secret History......Page 94 5. Secrecy and Secret History in The Spectator......Page 120 6. daniel Defoe: Harleyite Secret History and the Early Novel......Page 142 7. Eliza Haywood: Secret History, Curiosity and Disappointment......Page 170 Conclusion......Page 192 Notes......Page 198 Works Cited......Page 238 Index......Page 254