Christopher Smart and Satire

'Mary Midnight' and the Midwife

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Christopher Smart and Satire by Min Wild, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Min Wild ISBN: 9781317166412
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: May 23, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Min Wild
ISBN: 9781317166412
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: May 23, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Christopher Smart and Satire explores the lively and idiosyncratic world of satire in the eighteenth-century periodical, focusing on the way that writers adopted personae to engage with debates taking place during the British Enlightenment. Taking Christopher Smart's audacious and hitherto underexplored Midwife, or Old Woman's Magazine (1750-1753) as her primary source, Min Wild provides a rich examination of the prizewinning Cambridge poet's adoption of the bizarre, sardonic 'Mary Midnight' as his alter-ego. Her analysis provides insights into the difficult position in which eighteenth-century writers were placed, as ideas regarding the nature and functions of authorship were gradually being transformed. At the same time, Wild also demonstrates that Smart's use of 'Mary Midnight' is part of a tradition of learned wit, having an established history and characterized by identifiable satirical and rhetorical techniques. Wild's engagement with her exuberant source materials establishes the skill and ingenuity of Smart's often undervalued, multilayered prose satire. As she explores Smart's use of a peculiarly female voice, Wild offers us a picture of an ingenious and ribald wit whose satirical overview of society explores, overturns, and anatomises questions of gender, politics, and scientific and literary endeavors.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Christopher Smart and Satire explores the lively and idiosyncratic world of satire in the eighteenth-century periodical, focusing on the way that writers adopted personae to engage with debates taking place during the British Enlightenment. Taking Christopher Smart's audacious and hitherto underexplored Midwife, or Old Woman's Magazine (1750-1753) as her primary source, Min Wild provides a rich examination of the prizewinning Cambridge poet's adoption of the bizarre, sardonic 'Mary Midnight' as his alter-ego. Her analysis provides insights into the difficult position in which eighteenth-century writers were placed, as ideas regarding the nature and functions of authorship were gradually being transformed. At the same time, Wild also demonstrates that Smart's use of 'Mary Midnight' is part of a tradition of learned wit, having an established history and characterized by identifiable satirical and rhetorical techniques. Wild's engagement with her exuberant source materials establishes the skill and ingenuity of Smart's often undervalued, multilayered prose satire. As she explores Smart's use of a peculiarly female voice, Wild offers us a picture of an ingenious and ribald wit whose satirical overview of society explores, overturns, and anatomises questions of gender, politics, and scientific and literary endeavors.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Subjectivity, Citizenship and Belonging in Law by Min Wild
Cover of the book Politics and Policy in Greece by Min Wild
Cover of the book 'One Planet' Cities by Min Wild
Cover of the book Forrester on Christian Ethics and Practical Theology by Min Wild
Cover of the book White Ethics and Black Power by Min Wild
Cover of the book From Flintlock to Rifle by Min Wild
Cover of the book Ireland and the Land Question 1800-1922 by Min Wild
Cover of the book A Preface to Marlowe by Min Wild
Cover of the book Designed for Habitat by Min Wild
Cover of the book Queerness in Heavy Metal Music by Min Wild
Cover of the book Developing Economic and Industrial Understanding in the Curriculum (1994) by Min Wild
Cover of the book What's Right with the Trinity? by Min Wild
Cover of the book Protest and the Body in Melville, Dos Passos, and Hurston by Min Wild
Cover of the book Conflict and Decision Making in Close Relationships by Min Wild
Cover of the book Traumatic Stress and Its Aftermath by Min Wild
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy