Claire Clairmont: the Early Years, 1798-1822

England in the latter half of the eighteenth century was in the mature stages of growth. It was a peaceful time. Government was stable and the religious dissension that was prevalent in the seventeenth century was virtually a thing of the past. The aristocracy was content and life moved along unobtrusively. England was self-satisfied, "fat, comfortable, and middle aged." | Yet, there were a group of men, posts, pamphleteers, and radicals who viewed the situation with sensitive and realistic eyes. They wished to shake off their complacent foundations and sterile past. Taking their cue from the French Philosophs, their pens rang the word "freedom" throughout western Europe. France felt this freedom most strongly, and on June 20, 1789, she "fermented, boiled and at last exploded." | For those "radicals" watching the scene from across the channel, it appeared their work and belief's were blossoming. Their joy, however, was soon turned to disgust as they watched the Revolution turn into a bloody debacle. Men such as Wordsworth and Coleridge, once supporters of the struggle, turned away in loathing as their freedom child turned into an anarchistic monster. They demanded sanity be restored and the madness cease.

Grantor dc:publisher

Creighton University

Year dc:date.issued

1975

Author dc:creator

• Eden, Billie

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Schleich, Allan M.

• England--History
• United Kingdom--History

Statement dc:rights

• A non-exclusive distribution right is granted to Creighton University and to ProQuest following the publishing model selected above.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10504/120898

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:cdr.creighton.edu:10504/120898