The premise of Chittick's study is that the national discourse found in British periodical literature of 1802-30 is crucial to an understanding of the literary language of the era.
Introduction; Chapter 1 1802–7 the Intellectual Ascendancy of Whiggism; Chapter 2 1807–10 the Revival of Liberty; Chapter 3 1816–20 The Liberty of the Press and Literary Language for the People; Chapter 4 1816–24 the New Criticism: Apostasy and Personality; Chapter 5 1821–3 Historical Retrospective of the Edinburgh Review; Chapter 6 1824–30 Whiggism and Liberalism;
