Passions, Sympathy and Print Culture: Public Opinion and Emotional Authenticity in Eighteenth-Century Britain

This volume opens a dialogue between eighteenth-century passions and twenty-first century understandings of emotion, as revealed by psychological research into human emotions, and sociological studies of emotions and 'the media'. It unites literary scholars, historians, psychologists, and philosophers in an exploration of modes of community or expressions of self and feeling that surfaced in print culture during the decades between the 1690s and the 1780s. The individual essays explore ways in which 'authentic' passions came to be conceived and performed in a range of environments, from popular novels and the new journalism, through the philosophical studies of major figures in the Scottish Enlightenment, to last words, aesthetics, and plastic surgery. The result is a book that offers fresh historical perspectives on sympathy and public opinion and also considers critically how collective emotions contributed to political stability and moral improvement.

This book explores ways in which passions came to be conceived, performed and authenticated in the eighteenth-century marketplace of print. It considers satire and sympathy in various environments, ranging from popular novels and journalism, through philosophical studies of the Scottish Enlightenment, to last words, aesthetics, and plastic surgery.