ABSTRACT
The first applied research volume in Scottish Romanticism, this collection foregrounds the concept of progress as 'improvement' as a constitutive theme of Scottish writing during the long eighteenth century. It explores improvement as the animating principle behind Scotland’s post-1707 project of modernization, a narrative both shaped and reflected in the literary sphere. It represents a vital moment in Romantic studies, as a 'four-nations' interrogation of the British context reaches maturity. Equally, the volume contributes to a central concern in the study of Scottish culture, amplifying a critical synthesis of Romanticism and Enlightenment.
Chapter 9 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at https://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|75 pages
Print, Progress and Politeness
chapter 2|23 pages
Let Scotland Flourish by the Printing of the Word
chapter 3|18 pages
‘Simplicity, Rightly Understood’
part II|77 pages
Literature, Land and Commerce
chapter 5|21 pages
The Problem of Slavery in the Age of Improvement
chapter 7|18 pages
‘Earth and Stone’
part III|67 pages
Death, Legacy and Medicine