The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Eighteenth-Century Writers and Writing 1660 - 1789

"The Wiley-Blackwell Encyelopedia of Eighteenth-Century Writers and Writing 1660-1789 should be near at hand for every student and teacher of eighteenth-century literature. The choice of entries among writers, publishers, and key literary titles expands one's sense of the field, especially in the selection of women and laboring-class writers. The eneyelopedia is densely packed with accurate, reliable information on the full range of literary life in eighteenth-century Britain, and the variable length of the entries is nieely adjusted to facilitate reference while providing narrative interest. Like the best reference works of the eighteenth century, the Wiley-Blackwell Eneyelopedia is both profitable to consult and a pleasure to peruse." Robert DeMaria. Jr., Vassar College

In British history the years between 1660 and 1789 - frequently referred to as the "long eighteenth century" - were marked by seismic shifts in the political, economic, and cultural landscape. Literary responses to the transformational events of this period were no less startling. The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Eighteenth-Century Writers and Writing 1660-1789 features coverage of almost 500 notable writers based in the British Isles from the return of the British monarchy in 1660 until the French Revolution. While the major figures of the period, including Dryden, Defoe, Swift, Pope, and Johnson, feature prominently, this volume draws on the latest scholarship to reflect the broader literary achievements of this rich and fertile period. Wide-ranging essays reveal a time in which aristocratic writers coexisted with professional dramatists and novelists. Also covered are the great many women and working-class writers who first entered the literary mainstream, along with clergymen, doctors, lawyers, and distinctive new voices who took advantage of fresh opportunities to publish in newspapers, anthologies, reviews, and magazines. At once lively and authoritative, this Encyclopedia presents an engaging and invaluable window onto the lives and livelihoods of British writers from the Restoration to the rise of Romanticism.