Is "Caleb Williams" a Jacobin Novel?

Is Author: Markus Widmer
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3640202759
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 29

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Book Description
Essay from the year 1998 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2 (B), University of Aberdeen (English Seminar), course: Romantics and Revolutionaries, 5 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: In this essay, I will approach the term 'Jacobin novel' with several definitions, attempting to cover as many aspects of William Godwin's novel Caleb Williams and its background as possible. I will discuss with each definition whether it is applicable to the novel, or not. In the first part of the essay, the definition will be concerned with the political background of the author, mainly. Then I will consider the political philosophy inherent in the novel itself. Finally, I will investigate the aesthetics of Caleb Williams, and discuss whether these contradict the political content of the novel. The first difficulties when trying to define the term 'Jacobin novel' arise with the word 'Jacobin.' It has been used in the English Revolution debate of the 1790s mainly by the conservatives, counter-revolutionaries, or 'Anti-Jacobins' to name, or rather denounce, the supporters of the French Revolution. These had rather little to do with the particular political movement of revolutionary France which went under that name. [T]he term 'Jacobin' itself is misleading, since most of those in Britain who bore that label were in fact Girondins in their principles and beliefs, and took their political thought from native rather than French precedents. The name 'Jacobin, ' however, was at least partly accepted by the English supporters of the French Revolution (Kelly 2), and is useful as an umbrella term for the relatively heterogeneous group of progressive political forces in the 1790s.2 As the author of Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and several pamphlets, Godwin was "obviously directly involved in organized English Jacobinism in the early 1790s" (Kelly 4).

Is "Caleb Williams" a Jacobin Novel?

Is Author: Markus Widmer
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3640202759
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 29

Get Book Here

Book Description
Essay from the year 1998 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2 (B), University of Aberdeen (English Seminar), course: Romantics and Revolutionaries, 5 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: In this essay, I will approach the term 'Jacobin novel' with several definitions, attempting to cover as many aspects of William Godwin's novel Caleb Williams and its background as possible. I will discuss with each definition whether it is applicable to the novel, or not. In the first part of the essay, the definition will be concerned with the political background of the author, mainly. Then I will consider the political philosophy inherent in the novel itself. Finally, I will investigate the aesthetics of Caleb Williams, and discuss whether these contradict the political content of the novel. The first difficulties when trying to define the term 'Jacobin novel' arise with the word 'Jacobin.' It has been used in the English Revolution debate of the 1790s mainly by the conservatives, counter-revolutionaries, or 'Anti-Jacobins' to name, or rather denounce, the supporters of the French Revolution. These had rather little to do with the particular political movement of revolutionary France which went under that name. [T]he term 'Jacobin' itself is misleading, since most of those in Britain who bore that label were in fact Girondins in their principles and beliefs, and took their political thought from native rather than French precedents. The name 'Jacobin, ' however, was at least partly accepted by the English supporters of the French Revolution (Kelly 2), and is useful as an umbrella term for the relatively heterogeneous group of progressive political forces in the 1790s.2 As the author of Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and several pamphlets, Godwin was "obviously directly involved in organized English Jacobinism in the early 1790s" (Kelly 4).

Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams PDF Author: William Godwin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 488

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Book Description


The English Jacobin Novel 1780-1805

The English Jacobin Novel 1780-1805 PDF Author: Gary Kelly
Publisher: Oxford [Eng.] ; New York : Clarendon Press
ISBN:
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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The Anti-Jacobin Novel

The Anti-Jacobin Novel PDF Author: M. O. Grenby
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139430661
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
The French Revolution sparked an ideological debate which also brought Britain to the brink of revolution in the 1790s. Just as radicals wrote 'Jacobin' fiction, so the fear of rebellion prompted conservatives to respond with novels of their own; indeed, these soon outnumbered the Jacobin novels. This was the first survey of the full range of conservative novels produced in Britain during the 1790s and early 1800s. M. O. Grenby examines the strategies used by conservatives in their fiction, thus shedding new light on how the anti-Jacobin campaign was understood and organised in Britain. Chapters cover the representation of revolution and rebellion, the attack on the 'new philosophy' of radicals such as Godwin and Wollstonecraft, and the way in which hierarchy is defended in these novels. Grenby's book offers an insight into the society which produced and consumed anti-Jacobin novels, and presents a case for reexamining these neglected texts.

Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams PDF Author: William Godwin
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191607908
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
'He appears to be persecutor and I the persecuted: is not this difference the mere creature of the imagination?' Caleb is a guileless young servant who enters the employment of Ferdinando Falkland, a cosmopolitan and benevolent country gentleman. Falkland is subject to fits of unexplained melancholy, and Caleb becomes convinced that he harbours a dark secret. His discovery of the truth leads to false accusations against him, and a vengeful pursuit as suspenseful as any thriller. The novel is also a powerful political allegory, inspired by the events of the decade following the French Revolution. This new edition reproduces the original novel of 1794, which captures the raw indignation and sense of injustice felt by victims of British law. It includes the startlingly different manuscript ending, and selected variants in the second and third editions reflecting changes in Godwin's political and philosophical thinking. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Revolutionary Subjects in the English "Jacobin" Novel, 1790-1805

Revolutionary Subjects in the English Author: Miriam L. Wallace
Publisher: Bucknell University Press
ISBN: 0838757057
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 315

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Book Description
The "Jacobin" novel was labeled as such in Britain because of its supposed connections to the French Revolution. This book takes an in-depth look at these novels, written between 1790 and 1805. She centers on the group surrounding Wollstonecraft and Godwin, although not exclusively, exploring the limits of their philosophy of human rights and personal subjectivity. Unlike other recent scholars, the author treats both male and female writers, making feminism an aspect of the work but not the overriding one. While the novels are the main focus, other work by the writers is considered as it pertains to their beliefs. She also discusses the reaction from those who defined the "Jacobins" by opposing them.

Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams PDF Author: William Godwin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Anarchism
Languages : en
Pages : 484

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The English Jacobin Novel on Rights, Property and the Law

The English Jacobin Novel on Rights, Property and the Law PDF Author: N. Johnson
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230503381
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
The English Jacobin Novel on Rights, Property and the Law is a study of the radical novel's critique of the evolving social contract in the 1790s. Focusing on selected novels by Thomas Holcroft, Charlotte Smith, Elizabeth Inchbald, Robert Bage, William Godwin, Mary Hays, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Maria Edgeworth, this book examines narrative investigations into the intricate relationships between theories of rights, the requirements of proprietorship in civil society, and the construction of the legal subject.

Anti-Jacobin Novels, Part I, Volume 3

Anti-Jacobin Novels, Part I, Volume 3 PDF Author: W M Verhoeven
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351223259
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 243

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Book Description
A selection of Anti-Jacobin novels reprinted in full with annotations. The set includes works by male and female writers holding a range of political positions within the Anti-Jacobin camp, and represents the French Revolution, American Revolution, Irish Rebellion and political unrest in Scotland.

Anti-Jacobin Novels, Part I, Volume 1

Anti-Jacobin Novels, Part I, Volume 1 PDF Author: W M Verhoeven
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351223321
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Book Description
A selection of Anti-Jacobin novels reprinted in full with annotations. The set includes works by male and female writers holding a range of political positions within the Anti-Jacobin camp, and represents the French Revolution, American Revolution, Irish Rebellion and political unrest in Scotland.