Representation and Misrepresentation in Later Stuart Britain: Partisanship and Political Culture [Hardcover]

Mark Knights (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0199258333 | ISBN-13: 978-0199258338

In this original and illuminating study, Mark Knights reveals how the political culture of the eighteenth century grew out of earlier trends and innovations. Arguing that the period 1675-1720 needs to be seen as the second stage of a seventeenth-century revolution that ran on until c.1720, the book traces the development of the public as an arbiter of politics, the growth of a national political culture, the shift towards a representative society, a crisis of public discourse and credibility, and a political enlightenment rooted in local and national partisan conflict.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An interesting new book.... The 'new media' of later Stuart Britain were pamphlets and periodicals [and their authors] were the bloggers and citizen journalists of their day, and their influence was far greater (though their audiences were far smaller) than what anybody on the Internet has yet achieved.... Then as now, [the new media] delighted in mocking or even abusive criticism, in part because of the conventions of anonymity. One of Knights's most useful observations is that this was a self-limiting phenomenon."--Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker

"An interesting new book.... The 'new media' of later Stuart Britain were pamphlets and periodicals [and their authors] were the bloggers and citizen journalists of their day, and their influence was far greater (though their audiences were far smaller) than what anybody on the Internet has yet achieved.... Then as now, [the new media] delighted in mocking or even abusive criticism, in part because of the conventions of anonymity. One of Knights's most useful observations is that this was a self-limiting phenomenon."--Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker

"This long and detailed study is well worth reading." --The Scriblerian

About the Author

Mark Knights is a Senior Lecturer in British History, University of East Anglia, Norwich..

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (June 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199258333
• ISBN-13: 978-0199258338
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,384,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Rise of public opinion and electioneering, May 15, 2007

By 

Monica M. Park "history nutt" (near Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Representation and Misrepresentation in Later Stuart Britain: Partisanship and Political Culture (Paperback)

Mark Knights' book tells how political writing began, and the birth of influencing the voters through print. Knights book exposes the beginings of this most common feature of modern politics-campaign literature and writings.

From the Exclusion Crisis in 1679 to the South Sea Bubble in 1720, Whigs and Tories sought to influence voters by trumpeting the virtues of their side, condemning the vices of the other, and either praising the innate common sense, or lamenting the gullibility of the voters, as more frequent elections gave the public more opportunity to vote. Knights does an excellent job of explaining how the process of electioneering began, and how "public opinion" and "the People" entered into politics for the first time in English history.

This is a great book thats easy to follow and understand. The author assumes knowledge of the late Stuart, early Georgian time period, and also about British elections system, but it was still a very good book, which I highlt recommend.