MOYRA HASLETT lectures in the School of English at Queen's University, Belfast. Her previous publications include Marxist Literary and Cultural Theories which is also part of the Transitions series.

'Lively, informed, provocative, thought-provoking: Pope to Burney, 1714-1779: Scriblerians to Bluestockings exemplifies the intellectual hustle and bustle of the eighteenth century it investigates so rewardingly. The focus is on literary collaboration, coteries, clubs, and communities, and the range is panoramic. Newspapers, utopian fiction, labouring class writers, the letters of the black slave Ignatius Sancho - all are marshalled in a telling interrogation of Habermas's analysis of the public sphere, enabling trenchant readings of works such as The Dunciad, Gulliver's Travels, and Pamela. The pace never flags in this direct, readable, and confident study, examples and illustrations abound, and there is a wealth of supporting material, including a glossary and annotated bibliography. Haslett positively welcomes students into the sociability of eighteenth-century literary culture.' - Nick Groom, University of Bristol 'A well-written, well-conceived book that usefully reconceives the period.' - Dr J Hawley, Royal Holloway, University of London 'Haslett is thorough in covering a wide range of literary production...this lively and engaging study paves an accessible path through the heterogeneity of eighteenth-century literary culture and provides a useful, original introduction to the period.' - Alison Stenton, Times Literary Supplement

• General Editor's PrefacePrefaceAcknowledgementsPART I: CONVERSATIONAL FORMSIntroduction: Defining the Eighteenth Century: Public Sphere ConversationsLiterary CommunitiesSocial/Textual FormsFemale CommunitiesPART II: TEXTUAL CONVERSATIONSIntroductionThe Dunciad: Revisioning Literary HistoryGulliver's Travels: Ceding InterpretationThe Political Controversies of PamelaConclusionChronologyKey Concepts and ContextsAnnotated BibliographyBibliographyIndex.