The Poetry of Chartism: Aesthetics, Politics, History (Cambridge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture) [Hardcover]

Review of the hardback: 'Mike Sanders has produced an important study of the Northern Star's poetry column with a complete list of all the poems published. … This volume must now be recognised as the leading study of Chartist poetry available to historians. Its subtle linkage of literature, aesthetics and history provides a clear contextual setting for examining the written word and makes one realise why Plato contended that poetry could be harmful.' The Historical Association

Review of the hardback: '… The Poetry of Chartism (2009) is one of the most honourable acts of criticism I have read recently.' Isobel Armstrong

Review of the hardback: 'Mike Sanders has produced an important study of the Northern Star's poetry column with a complete list of all the poems published. … This volume must now be recognised as the leading study of Chartist poetry available to historians. Its subtle linkage of literature, aesthetics and history provides a clear contextual setting for examining the written word and makes one realise why Plato contended that poetry could be harmful.' The Historical Association

Review of the hardback: '… The Poetry of Chartism (2009) is one of the most honourable acts of criticism I have read recently.' Isobel Armstrong

'This book deserves great credit for showing unexpected correspondences between poets well and little known.' John Plotz, Review 19 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Between 1838 and 1852, the leading Chartist newspaper, the Northern Star, published over 1000 poems written by more than 350 poets - as the readership of the Northern Star numbered hundreds of thousands, these poems were amongst the most widely read of the Victorian era. This book offers a complete record of all the poems published. It asks a simple question: why did the writing and reading of poetry play such an important role in Chartism's struggle to secure fundamental democratic rights? It answers this question by analysing the interplay between politics, aesthetics and history in the aftermath of the Newport insurrection (1839), during the mass strikes of 1842 and the year of European revolutions (1848). Additionally, the book theorizes poetry's political agency and examines the critical history of Chartist poetry.

Between 1838 and 1852, the leading Chartist newspaper, the Northern Star, published over 1,000 poems by more than 350 poets. As well as examining the critical history of Chartist poetry, Michael Sanders explores its contribution to the struggle for democratic rights, analysing the interplay between politics, aesthetics and history.

Mike Sanders is a Lecturer in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Theory at the University of Manchester.