English politics and culture in the 18th century

Aims of the course

• Give you a more detailed appreciation of a century which has sometimes suffered in the shadow of the more towering 17th and 19th centuries 
• Emphasise the essentially dynamic character of 18th-century stability
• Better understand the possibilities and the pitfalls of efforts to read into the 18th century the birth of ‘modern’ politics and culture.

Content

After the hellish experience of civil war, regicide and republicanism under the Stuarts, 18th-century England achieved stability. How it must have warmed the cockles of men’s and women’s hearts: the age of enlightenment, politeness and Georgian poise breaking like sunshine over a darkened and blood-soaked plain. But the coming of peace has sometimes been seen as a loss of sinew, too: ‘Pudding time’, in The Vicar of Bray’s words, when ‘Moderate Men looked big’ and Hogarth’s Sleeping Congregation might happily doze through the snore-inducing sermons of worldly, well-fed divines. Did English politics and culture etiolate in ‘the age of stability’? To that question this course responds with a resounding ‘no’. English politics in the 18th century were dynamic, sometimes tumultuous, never settled. English culture was highly-wrought and many-faced. Over five days in which we examine the period’s politics and culture from a range of perspectives, we ask: how did an increasingly diverse and complex society tame deadly forces that had bedevilled the previous century and chart a new course for peace and prosperity? 

Presentation of the course 

This course will be taught across five seminars. Each seminar will pursue a different aspect of the period’s political and cultural history, and will involve a mixture of lecture, class discussion and group activity. The style of the seminars is informal, friendly and relaxed, and questions are actively encouraged at all stages!  

Class sessions 

1. Monarchy: personal, political, powerful. 

2. The ‘balanced’ constitution: hit, miss, and everything in between. 

3. ‘The people’: neither mob nor electorate – so what? 

4. Polite culture and its forms – or: forget every TV adaptation of Jane Austen you’ve ever seen. 

5. Faith, patriotism, and enlightenment: ‘enthusiasm’ checked? 

 Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are: 

1. To deepen your knowledge of 18th-century politics and culture 

2. To raise important questions in your mind about the nature of political and cultural stability 

3. To enrich your sense of the complex contribution made by the 18th century to ‘modernity’

Required reading

Please read at least one of the following three items before the course: 

J C D Clark, English Society 1660-1832: religion, ideology and politics during the ancient regime [2nd ed.] (Cambridge University Press, 2000)  

F O’Gorman, The Long Eighteenth Century: British political and social history 1688-1832 (Bloomsbury, 1997) 

K Wilson, The Sense of the People: politics, culture and imperialism in England 1715-85 (Cambridge University Press, 1995) 

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.