William Cobbett, the Press and Rural England : Radicalism and the Fourth Estate, 1792-1835

William Cobbett, the Press and Rural England offers a thorough re-appraisal of William Cobbett (1763-1835), situating his journalism and rural radicalism in relation to contemporary political debates. William Cobbett, the Press and Rural England offers a thorough re-appraisal of the work of William Cobbett (1763-1835), examining his pioneering journalism, identification with rural England and engagement with contemporary debates. It offers a new interpretation of Cobbett as a Burkean radical, whose work cuts across the 'revolution controversy' of the 1790s and combines Tom Paine's common sense and transatlantic radicalism with Edmund Burke's emphasis on tradition, patriotism and the domestic affections. To Hazlitt, Cobbett came to represent 'a kind of fourth estate in the politics of the country', becoming the virtual embodiment of both rural England and the campaign for parliamentary reform. This study draws on Cobbett's published writings and unpublished correspondence to show how he achieved this status. Individual chapters focus on his writings as Peter Porcupine, publication of parliamentary debates, imprisonment in Newgate, exile on Long Island, role in the Queen Caroline affair, Rural Rides, his prosecution after the Captain Swing riots and his wide-ranging legacies "William Cobbett, the Press and Rural England offers a thorough re-appraisal of the work of William Cobbett (1763-1835), examining his pioneering journalism, identification with rural England and engagement with contemporary debates. It offers a new interpretation of Cobbett as a Burkean radical, whose work cuts across the 'revolution controversy' of the 1790s and combines Tom Paine's common sense and transatlantic radicalism with Edmund Burke's emphasis on tradition, patriotism and the domestic affections. To Hazlitt, Cobbett came to represent 'a kind of fourth estate in the politics of the country', becoming the virtual embodiment of both rural England and the campaign for parliamentary reform. This study draws on Cobbett's published writings and unpublished correspondence to show how he achieved this status. Individual chapters focus on his writings as Peter Porcupine, publication of parliamentary debates, imprisonment in Newgate, exile on Long Island, role in the Queen Caroline affair, Rural Rides, his prosecution after the Captain Swing riots and his wide-ranging legacies"-- Provided by publisher "William Cobbett, the Press and Rural England is a compelling and passionate narrative history of particular dramatic episodes in Cobbett's radical career-that rather rare thing, an academic page-turner. This is not only because the episodes themselves were so extraordinary, and Cobbett's radical personality, as manifested in his writings, so powerful, but also because Grande writes with real fluency and passionate flair. It is also the case that, as well as an intriguing biography-in-episodes, the book is fully informed by both literary critical and Marxist historical research into Cobbett and early 19th century radicalism.' - Tim Fulford, De Montfort University, UK Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction: Digging up the 1790s....Pages 1-17 From the Soldier’s Friend to Peter Porcupine....Pages 18-37 William Windham and the Hampshire Hog....Pages 38-59 Prison, Paper Money and Cobbett’s ‘Two-Penny Trash’....Pages 60-91 Long Island Pastoral....Pages 92-113 Cobbett and Queen Caroline....Pages 114-147 Rural Rides and the 1820s....Pages 148-167 ‘Rural War’ and the July Revolution....Pages 168-197 Postscript: Cobbett’s Legacies....Pages 198-203 Back Matter....Pages 204-250