Synopses & Reviews
In this remarkable book Jeremy Burchardt traces the influence that attitudes toward the countryside have had on the evolution of modern British life. In the "town versus country" debate, Burchardt looks at the idealization of the countryside by artists and writers, the development of anti-urban and anti-industrial values, rural-urban commuting, environmentalist criticism of industrial farming, and the effect on government policy, social structure, and economic dynamism.
Review
"Highly recommended. For students of modern Britain, environmental history, and well-read travelers."--C.W. Wood Jr., Choice
"...an ideal text for students and newcomers to the field."--Alun Howkins, Social History Society's Bulletin
About the Author
Jeremy Burchardt is Lecturer in Rural History at Reading University.
Table of Contents
Urbanization and Industrialization * Literary Attitudes to the Countryside, 1790-1870 * Agrarian Radicalism, 1790-1850 * Gardens, Allotments, and Parks * Model Villages and Garden Cities * Literary Attitudes to the Countryside in the Later-18th and Early-19th Centuries * Land Reform After 1850 * Preservationism Before the First World War * Rambling * Preservationism and Planning * The Organic Movement Before and During the Second World War * Rural Reconstruction Between Wars * Ruralism, National Identity, and Politics * The Economic Consequences of Rural Nostalgia * Rural Change and the Legislative Framework, 1939-2000 * Agriculture and the Environment * Recreation in the Countryside Since the Second World War * Intra-Village Social Change and Attitudinal Conflict in the 20th Century * Town, Country, and Politics at the End of the 20th Century