Political Magic , livre ebook

341

pages

English

Ebooks

2014

Écrit par
F. Loar Christopher

Publié par
Fordham University Press

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341

pages

English

Ebooks

2014

Lire un extrait

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus

Publié par

Fordham University Press

Date de parution

05 juin 2014

EAN13

9780823256945

Langue

English

Poids de l'ouvrage

2 Mo

Political Magic examines early modern British fictions of exploration and colonialism, arguing that narratives of intercultural contact reimagine ideas of sovereignty and popular power. These fictions reveal aspects of political thought in this period that official discourse typically shunted aside, particularly the political status of the commoner, whose “liberty” was often proclaimed even as it was undermined both in theory and in practice. Like the Hobbesian sovereign, the colonist appears to the colonized as a giver of rules who remains unruly.
At the heart of many texts are moments of savage wonder, provoked by European displays of technological prowess. In particular, the trope of the first gunshot articulates an origin of consent and political legitimacy in colonial showmanship. Yet as manifestations of force held in abeyance, these technologies also signal the ultimate reliance of sovereigns on extreme violence as the lessthan-mystical foundation of their authority.
By examining works by Cavendish, Defoe, Behn, Swift, and Haywood in conjunction with contemporary political writing and travelogues, Political Magic locates a subterranean discourse of sovereignty in the century after Hobbes, finding surprising affinities between the government of “savages” and of Britons.

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Publié par

Fordham University Press

Date de parution

05 juin 2014

EAN13

9780823256945

Langue

English

Poids de l'ouvrage

2 Mo

P o l i t i c a l M a g i c

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political magic

                                       ,     –    

            .    

❁

Fordam University Press New York 

Copyrigt ©  Fordam University Press All rigts reserved. No part of tis publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mecanical, potocopy, recording, or any oter—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, witout te prior permission of te publiser. An earlier version Capter  was previously publised as “How to Say hings wit Guns: Military Tecnology and te Politics ofRobinson Crusoe,”Eigteent-Century Fiction, nos. – (): –; and an earlier version of Capter  was previously publised as “he Exceptional Eliza Haywood: Women and ExtralegalityinEovaai,”Eigteent-Century Studies, no.  (): –.

Fordam University Press as no responsibility for te persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or tird-party Internet websites referred to in tis publication and does not guarantee tat any content on suc websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Fordam University Press also publises its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content tat appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Loar, Cristoper F. Political magic : Britis ﬁctions of savagery and sovereignty, – / Cristoper F. Loar. — First edition. pages cm Includes bibliograpical references and index. ISBN ---- (clot : alk. paper) . Political ﬁction, Englis—History and criticism. . Englis ﬁction—t century—History and criticism. . Englis ﬁction—t century—History and criticism. . Politics and literature—Great Britain—History—t century. . Politics and literature—Great Britain—History—t century. . Politics in literature. . Autority in literature. . Aliens in literature. I. Title. PR.PL  '.—dc  Printed in te United States of America         First edition

For Barbara

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Contents

Acknowledgmentsix

Introduction: Magical Government  . Encanting te Savage: he Politics of Pyrotecnics in te Cavendis Circle  . Fire and Sword: Apra Ben and te Materials of Autority  . Talking Guns and Savage Spaces: Daniel Defoe’s Civilizing Tecnologies  .Doctrines Détestables: Jonatan Swift, Despotism, and Virtue  . Savage Vision: Violence, Reason, and Surveillance in Eliza Haywood  Coda: Enemies 

Notes Bibliograpy Index

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Acknowledgments

In te decade I spent working on tis book, I received aid and comfort for wic tese words of tanks are but a paltry recompense. his work could never ave been completed witout te extraordinary mentoring and support I received as a graduate student at UCLA. Felicity Nuss-baum patiently supervised tis project in its early stages and as con-tinued to oﬀer advice and criticism in te intervening years. I owe an inﬁnite debt to er for er relentless erudition and er boundless pa-tience. During my ﬁrst year of graduate study, I was lucky to take a seminar wit Helen Deutsc; er class ﬁrst triggered my interest in te eigteent century, and te abit of energetic and creative reading se instilled as canged my life. Her support for tis project as been unfailing and very, very welcome. I am also very grateful to Cristo-per Looby and Margaret Jacob for teir sage counsel. Allison Harvey, Nicole Horejsi, James Masland, Manusag Powell, and Melissa Sode-man read wit patience te earliest versions of tese pages; I am as grateful for teir bracing criticism as for te warmt of teir friend-sip. hanks as well to Robert Sterner and Molly Hiro for reading Adam Smit, homas Hobbes, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau wit me, and to boon companions Royce Dieckmann, Kevin Cooney, Andy Fleck, Cristoper Flynn, Antony Galluzzo, David Long, Julia Lee, Andrew Rosenblum, and Anne Stiles. Most of tis book was rewritten during my years at UC Davis, and to my colleagues tere I also oﬀer earty tanks. I was fortunate enoug to receive outstanding guidance and mentorsip from tree skilled department cairs: Margaret Ferguson, David Robertson, and Scott Simmon. Margaret Ferguson also read and commented on major pieces of te manuscript, as did Katleen Frederickson, Alessa Jons,

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