Simon Rennie – författare

As the last leader of the Chartist movement, Ernest Charles Jones (1819-69) is a significant historical figure, but he is just as well-known for his political verse. His prison-composed epic The New World lays claim to being the first poetic exploration of Marxist historical materialism, and his caustic short lyric ‘The Song of the Low’ appears in most modern anthologies of Victorian poetry. Despite the prominence of Jones’s verse in Labour history circles, and several major inclusions in critical discussions of working-class Victorian literature, this volume represents the first full-length study of his poetry. Through close analysis and careful contextualization, this work traces Jones’s poetic development from his early German and British Romantic influences through his radicalization, imprisonment, and years of leadership. The poetry of this complex and controversial figure is here fully mapped for the first time.

As the last leader of the Chartist movement, Ernest Charles Jones (1819-69) is a significant historical figure, but he is just as well-known for his political verse. His prison-composed epic The New World lays claim to being the first poetic exploration of Marxist historical materialism, and his caustic short lyric ‘The Song of the Low’ appears in most modern anthologies of Victorian poetry. Despite the prominence of Jones’s verse in Labour history circles, and several major inclusions in critical discussions of working-class Victorian literature, this volume represents the first full-length study of his poetry. Through close analysis and careful contextualization, this work traces Jones’s poetic development from his early German and British Romantic influences through his radicalization, imprisonment, and years of leadership. The poetry of this complex and controversial figure is here fully mapped for the first time.

As the last leader of the Chartist movement, Ernest Charles Jones (1819-69) is a significant historical figure, but he is just as well-known for his political verse. His prison-composed epic The New World lays claim to being the first poetic exploration of Marxist historical materialism, and his caustic short lyric ‘The Song of the Low’ appears in most modern anthologies of Victorian poetry. Despite the prominence of Jones’s verse in Labour history circles, and several major inclusions in critical discussions of working-class Victorian literature, this volume represents the first full-length study of his poetry. Through close analysis and careful contextualization, this work traces Jones’s poetic development from his early German and British Romantic influences through his radicalization, imprisonment, and years of leadership. The poetry of this complex and controversial figure is here fully mapped for the first time.

As the last leader of the Chartist movement, Ernest Charles Jones (1819-69) is a significant historical figure, but he is just as well-known for his political verse. His prison-composed epic The New World lays claim to being the first poetic exploration of Marxist historical materialism, and his caustic short lyric ‘The Song of the Low’ appears in most modern anthologies of Victorian poetry. Despite the prominence of Jones’s verse in Labour history circles, and several major inclusions in critical discussions of working-class Victorian literature, this volume represents the first full-length study of his poetry. Through close analysis and careful contextualization, this work traces Jones’s poetic development from his early German and British Romantic influences through his radicalization, imprisonment, and years of leadership. The poetry of this complex and controversial figure is here fully mapped for the first time.

This book represents the first substantial text examining the nature of Cotton Famine poetry, which responded to the severe economic downturn in the cotton trade in Lancashire and elsewhere precipitated by the Union blockade of Confederate exports during the American Civil War (1861-65). The poetry, largely collected from Lancashire newspapers and American periodicals, is featured on the Poetry of the Lancashire Cotton Famine database. The poems offer a unique opportunity to engage with the opinions and feelings of ordinary Victorians reacting to extraordinary circumstances, and a chance to re-assess Anglo-American relations during the Civil War through the lens of transatlantic poetic discourse.After a general introduction the book is split into two sections. The first section contains chapters examining the literary and historical context of the poetry, while the second offers interpretation through a blend of close analysis and critical approaches relating to the function of emotion in political discourse.

This book represents the first substantial text examining the nature of Cotton Famine poetry, which responded to the severe economic downturn in the cotton trade in Lancashire and elsewhere precipitated by the Union blockade of Confederate exports during the American Civil War (1861-65). The poetry, largely collected from Lancashire newspapers and American periodicals, is featured on the Poetry of the Lancashire Cotton Famine database. The poems offer a unique opportunity to engage with the opinions and feelings of ordinary Victorians reacting to extraordinary circumstances, and a chance to re-assess Anglo-American relations during the Civil War through the lens of transatlantic poetic discourse.After a general introduction the book is split into two sections. The first section contains chapters examining the literary and historical context of the poetry, while the second offers interpretation through a blend of close analysis and critical approaches relating to the function of emotion in political discourse.

This anthology brings together the unpublished poetry of Jacob Bronowski (1908-74). One of the last great polymaths, Bronowski was prominent in the fields of philosophy, mathematics, history and literary criticism, and is perhaps best remembered today as the creator of the landmark BBC series, The Ascent of Man. His poetry offers a window into his life and times, covering a number of political and social contemporary issues, from the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany, to war and injustice more broadly, to elegies for key cultural figures. The anthology is introduced with a foreword by Stephen Fry and an introduction by editor and compiler Simon Rennie, exploring the rich literary offering of the poetry and its humanistic approach to science and anti-fascism. This collection highlights the significance of Bronowski's work for a new age and from a range of scholarly perspectives: for literary scholars interested in modernist poetry, as well as Jewish literature; for historians of science and scientists interested in Bronowski's work and legacy; and for a more general informed readership familiar with Bronowski as cultural icon.