
Sympathy and the State in the Romantic Era
Systems, State Finance, and the Shadows of Futurity
Robert Mitchell(Author)
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 13. April 2007
Book
Hardback
276 pages
978-0-415-77142-9 (ISBN)
Description
Sympathy and the State in the Romantic Era explores a fascinating connection between two seemingly unrelated Romantic-era discourses, outlining the extent to which eighteenth and early nineteenth century theories of sympathy were generated by crises of state finance. Through readings of authors such as David Hume, Adam Smith, William Wordsworth, and P.B. Shelley, this volume establishes the ways in which crises of state finance encouraged the development of theories of sympathy capable of accounting for both the fact of "social systems" as well as the modes of emotional communication by means of which such systems bound citizens to one another.
Employing a methodology that draws on the systems theory of Niklas Luhmann, Michel Serres, and Giovanni Arrighi, as well as Gilles Deleuze's theories of time and affect, this book argues that eighteenth and early nineteenth century philosophies of sympathy emerged as responses to financial crises. Individual chapters focus on specific texts by David Hume, Adam Smith, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Ann Yearsley, William Wordsworth, and P.B. Shelley, but Mitchell also draws on periodicals, pamphlets, and parliamentary hearings to make the argument that Romantic era theories of sympathy developed new discourses about social systems intended both to explain, as well as contain, the often disruptive effects of state finance and speculation.
Employing a methodology that draws on the systems theory of Niklas Luhmann, Michel Serres, and Giovanni Arrighi, as well as Gilles Deleuze's theories of time and affect, this book argues that eighteenth and early nineteenth century philosophies of sympathy emerged as responses to financial crises. Individual chapters focus on specific texts by David Hume, Adam Smith, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Ann Yearsley, William Wordsworth, and P.B. Shelley, but Mitchell also draws on periodicals, pamphlets, and parliamentary hearings to make the argument that Romantic era theories of sympathy developed new discourses about social systems intended both to explain, as well as contain, the often disruptive effects of state finance and speculation.
Reviews / Votes
"One looks forward to the catalytic effect it should have on scholarship in this area...a rich thought-provoking collection of arguments." -- Hugh Roberts, University of California, IrvineMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
584 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-415-77142-9 (9780415771429)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Robert Mitchell
Sympathy and the State in the Romantic Era
Systems, State Finance, and the Shadows of Futurity
Book
07/2014
1st Edition
Routledge
€78.80
Shipment within 10-20 days

Robert Mitchell
Sympathy and the State in the Romantic Era
Systems, State Finance, and the Shadows of Futurity
E-Book
10/2013
1st Edition
Routledge
€69.99
Available for download

Robert Mitchell
Sympathy and the State in the Romantic Era
Systems, State Finance, and the Shadows of Futurity
E-Book
10/2013
1st Edition
Routledge
€69.99
Available for download
Person
Robert Mitchell is Assistant Professor of English at Duke University, USA.
Content
Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; Introduction; Chapter 1. Finance and the Exchange of Passions: The Origins of the Collective Imagination; Chapter 2. The Violence of System: Rousseau and Smith on Identification and Sympathy; Chapter 3. Anti-Slavery Poetry and the Speculative Subject; Chapter 4. Systems and the Parasite: Wordsworth and the Financial Crisis of 1797; Chapter 5. The Ghost of Gold: National Debt, Imagery, and the Politics of Sympathy in P. B. Shelley; Conclusion. State Finance, Systems, and Literary Criticism; Endnotes; Bibliography