British Romanticism in the Museum Age: A Review of Recent Scholarship

Abstract

This essay surveys recent scholarship in British Romantic literature and culture that emphasizes the interrelations between collections, exhibitions, and museums and the poetry, novels, and aesthetic philosophy of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It summarizes the scope and argument of important works of literary and cultural criticism and lists many related studies from other disciplines while providing a general overview of the historical and theoretical issues governing current discussions of Romantic-era exhibitionary culture.