Wallace (British and American literature, New College, Florida) begins by decrying the determination, especially on the part of universities, to periodize literature. Her insightful essay sets
the stage for this collection by both scholars of eighteenth century literature and Romanticism. Each author focuses on one work, often one largely forgotten today. Through that work both
literary form and social context are discussed. It is soon clear that the works of many writers contain styles and philosophies reflecting more than one of these artificial categories. The
definitions of Romantic, Gothic and Enlightenment are stretched. The articles also emphasize themes of interest to social historians such as gender, class structure and colonialism. Concluding
essays respond to the collection as a whole. Annotation 穢2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
