Bacchus in Romantic England: Writers and Drink, 1780-1830 by Anya Taylor

Although many books have studied writers and alcohol in modern American literature, the rich culture of drinking and the many poems and narratives about it in the Romantic period in England have been entirely neglected. Bacchus in Romantic England: Writers and Drink 1780-1830 is the first study to describe the bulk and variety of writings about drinking; to set these poems, novels, essays, letters and journals in a historical, sociological, and medical context; to demonstrate the importance of drunkenness in the works of a number of major and minor writers of the period; and to suggest that during these years, for a short time, the pleasures and pains of drinking are held in a vivacious balance. The book argues that the figure of the drinker tests the margins of the human being, either as a beast, savage, or thing or, on the other edge of the human range, as a free, inspired spirit.

Reviews:

“The book is, on a whole, a pleasant tribute to the substance Abuse Program of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, in which it originated as a lecture.” —Studies in English Literature

“[The author] demonstrates a rare combination of professional skills that makes her very nearly the one-of-a-kind choice for authoring a text such as this one.” —The Social History of Alcohol Review

“…we should be thankful for a brilliantly-informed and intelligent study like Anya Taylor's…” —Romanticism on the Net

“Taylor's work is an engaging pice of cultural history and close textual analysis, appealing to students, teachers and scholars alike.” —Studies in Romanticism

…a truly original work that makes an important contribution… —Nineteenth Century Contexts, Beth Lau