Samuel Johnson and the Making of Modern England [Hardcover]

Hudson examines Samuel Johnson's contribution to the creation of the modern English identity.Samuel Johnson, one of the most renowned authors of the eighteenth-century, became virtually a symbol of English national identity in the century following his death in 1784. Nicholas Hudson's Samuel Johnson and the Making of Modern England examines his contribution to the creation of the modern English identity, focussing on his attitudes towards class, feminism, party politics, the public sphere, nationalism, and imperialism. This book offers an entirely fresh look at Johnson and on the nature of English nationhood.Samuel Johnson, one of the most renowned authors of the eighteenth-century, became virtually a symbol of English national identity in the century following his death in 1784. Nicholas Hudson's Samuel Johnson and the Making of Modern England examines his contribution to the creation of the modern English identity, focussing on his attitudes towards class, feminism, party politics, the public sphere, nationalism, and imperialism. This book offers an entirely fresh look at Johnson and on the nature of English nationhood.One of the most renowned authors of the eighteenth century, Samuel Johnson became a symbol of English national identity in the century following his death in 1784. Nicholas Hudson examines his contribution to the creation of the modern English identity, focusing on his attitudes towards class, feminism, party politics, the public sphere, nationalism, and imperialism. This new view of Johnson reflects the nature of English nationhood.Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. From 'rank' to 'class': the changing structures of social hierarchy; 2. Constructing the middle-class woman; 3. From 'broad-bottom' to 'party': the rise of modern English politics; 4. 'The voice of the nation': the evolution of the 'public'; 5. The construction of English nationhood; 6. The material and ideological development of the British Empire; Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Indel3A