DOCSLIB.ORG

Constructing 'Free Love': Science, Sexuality, and Sex Radicalism, C

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Constructing 'Free Love': Science, Sexuality, and Sex Radicalism, C Constructing ‘Free Love’: Science, Sexuality, and Sex Radicalism, c. 1895- 1913. Submitted by Sarah Lyndsey Jones to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History In October 2015 This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Signature: ………………………………………………………….. Abstract In the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, a broad community of radical men and women engaged in discussions about sex reform and what they termed ‘free love’. Much of this debate took place within a particular community of periodicals, as those interested in radical sexual reform read, contributed to, and corresponded with a small number of key sex radical journals such as The Adult, Lucifer, the Light-Bearer, and The Freewoman. Drawing upon their contributions to these journals, this thesis will examine the ways in which sex radical authors built and shaped their beliefs about sex and sex reform – in short, how they constructed ‘free love’ in their work. In particular my research will explore how sex radicals, despite holding diverse and often conflicting views, used similar theories and ideas drawn from a broad range of scientific disciplines to support their arguments. This thesis will show that radicals used a varied set of scientific ideas and theories in order to contend that mankind had a ‘natural’ and important sexuality that had been harmfully bound and distorted by contemporary social, cultural, and legal institutions. It will demonstrate that it was these scientific ideas that underpinned their criticisms of existing social institutions, and thus framed their varied calls for radical sexual reform. Despite the often contentious nature of sex radical debates, this thesis will therefore illustrate that radical authors throughout these journals shared a belief that a scientific understanding of sex was crucial to making sex ‘free’. Furthermore, by exploring links between sex radicals and other social reformers, research will illustrate that radicals were not isolated and should not be dismissed as a marginal group; instead it will show that they are better understood as active participants in part in a broad set of contemporary intellectual debates about issues related to sex, relationships, gender, and the body. As such, this thesis will show the importance of bringing radicals in from the fringe of historical accounts in order to gain a more in-depth understanding of such debates. 2 Acknowledgments Funding for my PhD studies was provided through the generous support of Great Western Research, alongside much appreciated financial support from Andrew Threipland. Without the help and guidance of my supervisors, colleagues, friends, and family this thesis (and the person who wrote it) would have been a total mess. Firstly, I’d like to thank my supervisor Professor Kate Fisher. Without her kindness, encouragement, and considerable patience this project would have never come together. I am indebted to her for the support she has given me throughout this long and difficult process, and for the faith she has shown in me and my work. I also need to thank Kate for handling the inevitable meltdowns wonderfully – without the tea, cake, and kind words there would have been a lot more crying in public. I’d also like to thank my second supervisor Dr Staffan Müller-Wille for his insightful feedback, and for his help in developing my research. I’m also grateful for the input of Dr Jana Funke. Her help and guidance has been invaluable, and she always managed not to laugh when I asked ridiculous questions. I have been lucky enough to be a part of a vibrant postgraduate research community at the University of Exeter, and thanks need to go my friends and colleagues for their input and support. Hannah Charnock has been especially helpful, both for her insightful feedback and for her valiant attempts to correct my grammar. Particular thanks need to go my friends in Office 2. Despite the inevitable difficulties of dragging a thesis together, they always made coming to work a pleasure. Without their encouragement (and the supply of biscuits) this process would have been much more difficult. My whole family have been amazing but a special thank you needs to go to my parents, Sue and Gareth. They have supported me in so many ways, and have always believed that this thesis would be finished (even when I wasn’t so sure). I am so incredibly grateful to them for their unwavering love and support – I hope I have made them proud. 3 Finally I’d like to thank my wife, Sarah. I’d need another thesis to cover all the ways she has helped me through this, so I’ll keep it simple - I don’t care what the free lovers would say, being married to you is great. 4 Contents Introduction .......................................................................................................... 9 Sex and Science: Radical Constructions of Sexuality ........................................ 39 ‘Natural’ Sexuality and the Critique of Marriage ................................................. 83 Sexual Knowledge and Sexual Ignorance ........................................................ 125 Evolution, Civilization, and the Development of Mankind: Debating Alternatives to Marriage ............................................................................................................ 167 Women, Reproduction, and the Question of Equality ....................................... 203 Defining ‘Freedom’ ........................................................................................... 237 Conclusions ...................................................................................................... 271 Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 283 5 Introduction ‘From the mire of injustice and unmentionableness [sic] into which the sexual instinct has been cast by the unco’ guid, the Legitimation Leaguers set themselves to raise it into the peaceful paths of pleasantness. Appreciation is our attitude towards this instinct, as against the depreciation it was so long been subject to…To the Obscure Judes and distracted Sues of society we offer the hand of fellowship, and boldly proclaim that only where love is free from legal bonds and sordid pressures, and mutual attraction guides voluntary association between the sexes, is the realisation of the most complete life possible.’1 In the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, a broad community of radical men and women engaged in discussions about sex reform and what they termed ‘free love’. Much of this debate took place within a particular community of periodicals, as those interested in radical sexual reform read, contributed to, and corresponded with a small number of key sex radical journals. While their views and agendas often diverged, many of these radicals came to this debate with a shared (and novel) understanding of sex. These sex radicals (as I shall term them) agreed that mankind had a powerful, pure, and natural sexual instinct. This natural imperative, they claimed, had been wrongfully and harmfully restricted and degraded by contemporary social, legal, and cultural mores. As such they were highly critical of laws, values, and customs that they believed had served to obscure the ‘true’ nature of sexuality, and render what they saw as a clean, natural instinct as impure and 1 Leighton Pagan, ‘To the “Obscure Judes” and Distracted “Sues”’, The Adult 1:1 (June, 1897), 6. 6 immoral. This denigration, they claimed, had interfered with and distorted the natural relationship between the sexes. In their view this distortion had a number of worrying outcomes and lay at the heart of a range of social problems. Firstly, radicals argued that the restrictions and controls placed on the expression of natural and pure sexual urges was harmful to an individual’s physical and mental health, development and wellbeing. Furthermore, they linked it to worrying social issues such as the declining moral health of society, unhappy, unequal and unjust marriages, and the proliferation of sexual vice. These sex radicals therefore called for a redefinition of the way people thought about sex – they argued that people should not consider the sexual instinct to be something dangerous or in need of control, and instead (as in the opening quote) they called for it to be appreciated as a positive and powerful force. Allowing sex to be free of ‘legal bonds and sordid pressures’, and allowing mutual feelings of love and desire to guide and govern sexual relations, they believed, would restore a natural order that would not only make people healthier and happier, but also cure a number of prominent social ills. A key aim of these radicals was therefore to free mankind’s natural sexual instincts from the social and legal controls and restrictions placed upon them – in short, they sought to facilitate ‘free love’. As Joanne Passet has noted, terminology is a problematic aspect of any scholarly consideration of free love in this period due to the term’s contested meanings.2 For some contemporaries, for instance, ‘free love’ was synonymous with ‘free lust’. A number of historians have shown how free
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 2014 Festival Catalog
    welcome For many years, we have worked together to build places for exploring the erotic, for meeting Eros, within ourselves and others. And we have seen the transformation that happens when people are allowed (encouraged) to encounter and Reveal true, authentic selves. We have built places that not only tolerate who we really are, but go further and accept who we are. And go further even, and celebrate our true essence. How can we know, really know, who we are if we keep so much hidden? How can we move freely, heartily through life while carrying the burdens of “unspeakable” secrets? We cannot fully love and profoundly affect our world, until we have met our real selves. And so, we offer Reveal as a promise and an invitation. Let us show you who we are, and perhaps you will reveal yourselves to us, too. We would be honored. Through art, let us reveal to you some possibilities. Let our artists lay a welcome mat; come explore–the light & dark, the soft & hard, the profane & profound. Stare, gawk, study, giggle. Stay as long as you dare, dare yourself to stay longer–past comfort, and back again. We bring you Seattle Erotic Art Festival to use as your bridge to authentic selves. Reveal. Because Eros’s love is in you, and we want you to know it. Through art, let us meet each other, and ourselves. With love and honor, Sophia Iannicelli and Leila Anasazi Seattle Erotic Art Festival 2014 ii juried exhibition juried exhibition The Festival is known worldwide for its comprehensive collection of international fine art celebrating the diversity of human sexual expression.
    [Show full text]
  • The New Woman Criminal in British Culture at the Fin De Siècle
    FRAMED DIGITALCULTUREBOOKS is a collaborative imprint of the University of Michigan Press and the University of Michigan Library. FRAMED The New Woman Criminal in British Culture at the Fin de Siècle ELIZABETH CAROLYN MILLER The University of Michigan Press AND The University of Michigan Library ANN ARBOR Copyright © 2008 by Elizabeth Carolyn Miller All rights reserved Published in the United States of America by The University of Michigan Press and the University of Michigan Library Manufactured in the United States of America c Printed on acid-free paper 2011 2010 2009 2008 4321 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Miller, Elizabeth Carolyn, 1974– Framed : the new woman criminal in British culture at the fin de siècle / Elizabeth Carolyn Miller. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-472-07044-2 (acid-free paper) ISBN-10: 0-472-07044-4 (acid-free paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-472-05044-4 (pbk. : acid-free paper) ISBN-10: 0-472-05044-3 (pbk. : acid-free paper) 1. Detective and mystery stories, English—History and criticism. 2. English fiction—19th century—History and criticism. 3. Female offenders in literature. 4. Terrorism in literature. 5. Consumption (Economics) in literature. 6. Feminism and literature— Great Britain—History—19th century. 7. Literature and society— Great Britain—History—19th century.
    [Show full text]
  • Chaucer and Bawdy
    Chaucer and Bawdy G. R. Simes RANCE. Had you committed the act you wouldn't now be facing the charge. PRENTICE. I couldn't commit the act. I'm a heterosexual. RANCE. I wish you wouldn't use these Chaucerian words. It's most confusing. Joe Onon, What the Butler Saw (1969), p. 55. The reputation of a medieval poet is such that a successful dramatist of the 1960s could rely on the mere mention of his name to convey to the audience of the play the ideas of naughtiness and bawdy. Presumably the expansion of senior-secondary and tertiary education after World War II, the gradual relaxation of sexual mores, and the ready availability of a lively translation of the Canterbury Tales had all been factors_ that contributed to a popular dissemination of Chaucer's reputation for bawdiness. If that is so, it occurred in the absence of scholarly activity and interest in the topic. It is true that Chaucer shares with Shakespeare the singular honour of having a book devoted to his bawdy; yet that book was published as recently as 1972 and, modelling itself on Partridge's pioneering work on Shakespeare, takes the form of discursive glosses, apart from a brief, conceptually uncritical introduction. I In general, before the later 1960s, while many medievalists privately took pleasure in Chaucer's treatment of sexual and excretory matters, they did not write upon this aspect of his work with the same unembarrassed candour that the poet himself had shown. Among general readers this aspect of Chaucer, and to an extent Chaucer's very name, was very often an occasion for sniggering.
    [Show full text]
  • Was My Life Worth Living? by Emma Goldman [Published in Harper's Monthly Magazine, Vol
    Published Essays and Pamphlets Was My Life Worth Living? by Emma Goldman [Published in Harper's Monthly Magazine, Vol. CLXX, December 1934] It is strange what time does to political causes. A generation ago it seemed to many American conservatives as if the opinions which Emma Goldman was expressing might sweep the world. Now she fights almost alone for what seems to be a lost cause; contemporary radicals are overwhelmingly opposed to her; more than that, her devotion to liberty and her detestation of government interference might be regarded as placing her anomalously in the same part of the political spectrum as the gentlemen of the Liberty League, only in a more extreme position at its edge. Yet in this article, which might be regarded as her last will and testament, she sticks to her guns. Needless to say, her opinions are not ours. We offer them as an exhibit of valiant consistency, of really rugged individualism unaltered by opposition or by advancing age. --The Editors. How much a personal philosophy is a matter of temperament and how much it results from experience is a moot question. Naturally we arrive at conclusions in the light of our experience, through the application of a process we call reasoning to the facts observed in the events of our lives. The child is susceptible to fantasy. At the same time he sees life more truly in some respects than his elders do as he becomes conscious of his surroundings. He has not yet become absorbed by the customs and prejudices which make up the largest part of what passes for thinking.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ecumenical Movement and the Origins of the League Of
    IN SEARCH OF A GLOBAL, GODLY ORDER: THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT AND THE ORIGINS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS, 1908-1918 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Notre Dame in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by James M. Donahue __________________________ Mark A. Noll, Director Graduate Program in History Notre Dame, Indiana April 2015 © Copyright 2015 James M. Donahue IN SEARCH OF A GLOBAL, GODLY ORDER: THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT AND THE ORIGINS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS, 1908-1918 Abstract by James M. Donahue This dissertation traces the origins of the League of Nations movement during the First World War to a coalescent international network of ecumenical figures and Protestant politicians. Its primary focus rests on the World Alliance for International Friendship Through the Churches, an organization that drew Protestant social activists and ecumenical leaders from Europe and North America. The World Alliance officially began on August 1, 1914 in southern Germany to the sounds of the first shots of the war. Within the next three months, World Alliance members began League of Nations societies in Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Great Britain and the United States. The World Alliance then enlisted other Christian institutions in its campaign, such as the International Missionary Council, the Y.M.C.A., the Y.W.C.A., the Blue Cross and the Student Volunteer Movement. Key figures include John Mott, Charles Macfarland, Adolf Deissmann, W. H. Dickinson, James Allen Baker, Nathan Söderblom, Andrew James M. Donahue Carnegie, Wilfred Monod, Prince Max von Baden and Lord Robert Cecil.
    [Show full text]
  • Contesting Tradition and Combating Intolerance a History of Free Thought in Kansas
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Great Plains Quarterly Great Plains Studies, Center for Fall 2000 Contesting Tradition And Combating Intolerance A History Of Free thought In Kansas Aaron K. Ketchell University of Kansas, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly Part of the Other International and Area Studies Commons Ketchell, Aaron K., "Contesting Tradition And Combating Intolerance A History Of Free thought In Kansas" (2000). Great Plains Quarterly. 2129. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly/2129 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Quarterly by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. CONTESTING TRADITION AND COMBATING INTOLERANCE A HISTORY OF FREETHOUGHT IN KANSAS AARON K. KETCHELL Diversity is the hallmark of freethought in Although the attitudes of freethinkers toward Kansas, for freethinkers were never a homoge­ religion are the primary concern of this essay, neous body. The movement was not only reli­ it must be remembered that freethinkers had gious, or for that matter, antireligious, different ideas about what the movement although the majority of social and political meant and that opposition to organized reli­ issues that it addressed had religious ground­ gion was only one, but a crucial element of the ing. No one specific organized group domi­ freethought agenda. nated historical Kansas freethinking. Instead, In order to understand the history of individuals in the form of editors of various freethought in Kansas one must first define newspapers, journals, and book series became the movement and its ideology.
    [Show full text]
  • (2) Sexuality, Obscenity, and Genre in the Merchant's Tale
    The Merchant’s Tale (2) Sexuality, Obscenity, and Genre in the Merchant’s Tale: The Case of Fabliau Marie Turner An essay chapter from the Open Access Companion to the Canterbury Tales (September 2018) The Merchant’s Tale is often considered to be one of the masterpieces of the Canterbury Tales. A lowbrow story told in a high rhetorical style, the tale’s richly allusive fabric interweaves sources and analogues both classical and biblical, Latin, French, and Italian, as well as self-reflexively referencing other parts of the Canterbury Tales; in the Merchant’s Tale, perhaps, we can see the man behind the curtain, the poet Chaucer at work. But in addition to all this high style and erudition, the Merchant’s Tale also has something of a reputation for crude and obscene content: the elderly bachelor Januarie seeks out a much younger bride, May, and, after a series of perhaps less-than-erotic romps, introduces her to a purpose-built sex garden where he hopes they will engage in those acts which are “nat doon abedde” (MerT 2051). Throwing a wrench in the works is May, who naturally has fallen in love with Damyan, a young squire in her household, with whom she hatches a plan to cuckold her husband, now blind. May copies the key to the garden and lets Damyan inside, where he lies in wait in a convenient pear tree. When May declares herself to have a craving for pears, Januarie delightedly assumes that his wife is pregnant and rushes to assist her in climbing the tree in search of the fruit which will satisfy her desire.
    [Show full text]
  • American Journal of Eugenics V2 N6-7 Sep-Oct 1908
    PRICE 649 S. Main St., Los Angeles, Calif., U. S. A. BY MAIL M. HARMAN, Editor and Publisher London Agents: Miller & Gill, Cambridge Cir­ f t l . 2 5 l1 0 cus, Charing Cross Roads ÎENTS AYEAR. IN THIS NUMBER Scientific Race Culture.........................................Hulda L. Potter-Loomis The Family—Foundation of Society..................... ......... .. .Auguste Ford Marriage a Trap and a Wheel.......................................................John Fills The Outlook—Back to the People...............................................M Harman Mother Earth in California.............................................................. J. W. L. Some Thoughts on Eugenics.................................................C. H. Wcsseler What is Said of Eugenics............................................................ M. Harman Practical Eugenics—Unitary Homes.....................................B. F. Gregory What’s What and Who’s W ho...................................................M. Harman The Business End—Short Editorials.........................................M. Harman More About Men, Women and Morals..................... Louisa D. Harding A Radical Professor..............................................................Robert B. Kerr THE EUGENIST LIBRARY When sending for books our friends are requested to name second or third choice, especially in regard to thé smaller books and pamphlets, inasmuch as the stock of some of these is now exhausted and we find it difficult, often impossible, to get more. “Thoughts of a Fool,“ by Evelyn Gladys, is one of the books that once read will never be forgotten. It was at first sold for $1.50. We have come into possession of a few copies, donated to Eugenics, which will be sold $1.00 each, postage 10 cents “Sexual Love,“ by Allan Laidlaw. Paper cover. Price one shilling; 25c. “Borning Better Babies,“ by Dr. E. B. Foot, Jr. Price 25 cents. “Duty of Civil Disobedience,“ by Henry D. Thoreau. Price 10 cents.
    [Show full text]
  • Sex Education Practices of Mothers and Fathers with Preschool Children
    AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Science Shelley Lynne Knudsen-Jindauer for the degree of Master of in Family Life presented on "August 21, 1979 Title: Sex Education Practices of Mothersand Fathers With Preschool Childien Abstract approved: Redacted for privacy 0 Sally A. Koblinsky 0 This study examinee the sex education practices of middle class par- ents with presChool children. Subjects were 128 parents of three- to five. year -old children, including 37 mothers of daughters, 37 mothersof sons, 27 fathers of daughters, and 27 fathers of sons. These parents were ad- ministered a sex education questionnaire examining children's curiosity about genital differences, curiosity'about birth and reproduction, use of obscene words, masturbation, and sex play. In each area, parents provided information about the frequency with which they observed the behavior, the manner in which they responded to the behavior, and the level of comfort they experienced in responding. Results indicated that the majority of parents had encountered questions about genital differences, questions about reproduction, and masturbation. Moreover, half of the sample had encountered obscene language and one quarter had observed sex play. Chi square analyses revealed that mothers andfathers were equally likely to have observed all rive sexual behaviors, However, parents of sons were significantly more likely than parents ofdaughters to have observed masturbation. An examination of parents' responses to the various sexual behaviors revealed that parents provided more accurate information about genital sex differences to daughters than sons. Another notable finding was that the majority of parents failed to provide their children with an accurate description of reproduction and birth.
    [Show full text]
  • Sexuality Research, Sexual Politics and Sexual Rights in the Anglophone Caribbean
    Sexuality Research, Sexual Politics and Sexual Rights in the Anglophone Caribbean Christine Barrow The problem of sex Throughout Caribbean history sex has been framed as a moral, social, demographic and health problem. Sexual expressions are denounced as rampant promiscuity evident in blatant homosexuality, sex work, predatory male hyper-heterosexuality, lewd gyrations of women in carnival and dance hall, and teenage girls with so-called “sugar daddies”. The dominant authorities of church and state portray sex as a threat to social order and morality – the cause of overpopulation, violence and disease. The racialized imagery of sexuality provides justification for law and policy to reach beyond social control to regulate sex and family life. Streams of migration from Europe, Africa, India and elsewhere, and colonialism that passed through French, Spanish, Dutch and British hands have generated a Caribbean complex of ethnicities, religions and laws all, in turn, shaping a diversity of sexual cultures. And yet, a one-size-for-all hegemonic twin ideology of patriarchy and heteronormativity underpinning imperial authority drove post-Emancipation and post-Indenture nation- building designed to ‘civilize’ Caribbean men and women into responsible, upright citizens. At its core was compulsory heterosexuality rooted in nuclear family structures with an appropriately gendered division of labour and the policing of women’s sexuality – within rigid race-class boundaries and inside the marriage bed. The social engineering project was not new – already during slavery, religious authorities had embarked on a moral crusade to promote marriage and stamp out ‘concubinage’ and ‘promiscuity’ – but it went into high gear after World War II with the arrival of social welfare ‘experts’ whose recommendations for family restructuring centred the promotion of marriage with the aim of reducing what were seen through an ethnocentric lens as shockingly high rates of illegitimacy.
    [Show full text]
  • “We Have Lived & Loved As Brothers”: Male Friendship at the University of Virginia 1825- 1861 Josh Morrison Masters'
    “We Have Lived & Loved as Brothers”: Male Friendship at the University of Virginia 1825- 1861 Josh Morrison Masters’ Thesis April 25, 2017 Introduction & Historiography ....................................................................................................... 2 Part I: The Students and their University ....................................................................................... 8 Part II: Autograph Albums: A Language of Friendship .................................................................. 23 Part III: What Does Honor Have to Do with It? Explaining Violence & Friendship ....................... 40 Conclusion: Friendship & War ...................................................................................................... 48 1 INTRODUCTION & HISTORIOGRAPHY During the late antebellum period, the University of Virginia was widely regarded as the premier institution of Southern learning. Its student body was composed almost exclusively of the favored sons of the richest and most influential men of the region. As such, Jefferson’s University served not only as a mirror reflecting elite Southern culture but as an active agent of its ideological, and social development. Its first years saw a litany of violent outbursts that drew much comment at the time and indeed much focus even today. While Thomas Jefferson and the early professors did their best to get the institution off the ground, a casual observer could be excused for thinking that many of its students were just as fervently trying to tear it down brick
    [Show full text]
  • PDF Hosted at the Radboud Repository of the Radboud University Nijmegen
    PDF hosted at the Radboud Repository of the Radboud University Nijmegen The following full text is a publisher's version. For additional information about this publication click this link. http://hdl.handle.net/2066/104308 Please be advised that this information was generated on 2021-10-05 and may be subject to change. /b< ι M. Robertson: ^9 Rationalist and ' 1 T . à . _ „ -- • • s...... L I* ' "ary Critic i ODIN DEKKERS J.M. Robertson: Rationalist and Literary Critic J.M. Robertson: Rationalist and Literary Critic een wetenschappelijke proeve op het gebied van de Letteren PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen, volgens besluit van het College van Decanen in het openbaar te verdedigen op woensdag 24 juni 1998 des namiddags om 1.30 uur precies door ODIN DEKKERS Geboren op 14 augustus 1969 te Susteren Promotor: Prof. Dr. F.J.M. Korsten Co-promotor: Dr. J.M. Blom Leden manuscriptcommissie: Prof. Dr. W.J.M. Bronzwaer Prof. K. Fens Prof. Dr. M. Demoor, Rijksuniversiteit Gent Contents Acknowledgements vii Preface ix 1 TheLifeof J.M. Robertson 1 2 Robertson and nineteenth-century rationalism Introduction 51 Part 1 : British rationalism in the nineteenth century 52 Part 2: Robertson as a rationalist thinker 72 3 Robertson and scientific literary criticism Introduction 93 Part 1 : Victorian scientific criticism 94 Part 2 : Robertson as a theorist of scientific literary criticism 134 4 Robertson on drama, fiction, and poetry Introduction 163 Part 1 : Robertson on drama 164 Part 2: Robertson on fiction 192 Part 3 : Robertson on poetry 221 Bibliography 257 Index 277 Acknowledgements This book could not have been written without the generous help I have received from many quarters.
    [Show full text]