Romanticism and the Rural Community

'A fresh and perceptive study that will make a wholly positive impact. Simon J. White opens new approaches to the lively field of studies on rural and labouring-class poets of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Robert Burns appears in conversation with Robert Bloomfield and John Clare, and all readers will welcome the book's revisionary stance on topics such as enclosure. Chapter by chapter, Romanticism and the Rural Community deftly moves all of the arguments forward.' Nicholas Roe, University of St Andrews, UK

'White is an incisive commentator who is not afraid to take revisionary perspectives on his subjects, and who supplies detailed historical knowledge to his critical readings. He brings considerable expertise to his readings of Bloomfield, and his chapter on Crabbe will do much I hope to aid the burgeoning resurrection of the poet's reputation. Enthusiasts of Romantic-period rural

writing will find much to enjoy in this book.' Simon J. White, John Clare Society Journal