Synopses & Reviews
Benjamin Disraeli remains a commanding figure in the history and ideology of the British Conservative party, and a remarkable example of ascent to high office from outside the traditional elite. This is the first book to bring together specialists in history, literary studies and psychiatry to offer fresh insight into the way in which he successfully fashioned his personality in the formative years before his emergence as Conservative leader. Topics include his education, Jewishness, romanticism, orientalism, psychological disposition, and historical and political ideas.
Review
"This is a useful collection of sharply focused essays." Jane Ridley, The Times Literary Supplement"...stimulating and provocative." Frans Coetzee, Albion"...this collection is persusive, and marked by a creative exchange across disciplines on the central cohering issue of identity....a useful collection not overburdened with theory, and accessible to both scholars and students." H.L. Malchow, Journal of Interdisciplinary History
Synopsis
The first book to show how Disraeli fashioned his personality during his formative years.
Table of Contents
Preface; Introduction Paul Smith; 1. Disraeli's education Charles Richmond; 2. Disraeli's romanticism: self-fashioning in the novels Daniel R. Schwarz; 3. Disraeli's crucial illness Charles Richmond and Jerrold M. Post; 4. Disraeli's orientalism Patrick Brantlinger; 5. 'A Hebrew to the end': the emergence of Disraeli's Jewishness Todd M. Engelman; 6. Disraeli's interpretation of English history Peter Jupp; 7. Disraeli's politics Paul Smith.