Pleasure, Happiness and Romanticism: A Critical Survey

TY - JOUR

T1 - Pleasure, Happiness and Romanticism: A Critical Survey

AU - Boyson, Rowan

PY - 2010/8

Y1 - 2010/8

N2 - This survey article offers a brief history of literary studies of pleasure, and describes the intellectual context in which these appeared in the 1980s and 90s, when consumption was a major theme in the humanities and social sciences. More recently, a turn to ‘happiness’ in economics and neuroscience invites a new attention to ideas of positive affect in texts of the Romantic period. Other shifts, including the return to prominence of the aesthetic, and a turn away from certain aspects of ideology critique and deconstruction, have also encouraged a new look at pleasure in Romanticism, especially in the writing of Wordsworth. It details some recent publications on this theme, and points to potential avenues for future research.

AB - This survey article offers a brief history of literary studies of pleasure, and describes the intellectual context in which these appeared in the 1980s and 90s, when consumption was a major theme in the humanities and social sciences. More recently, a turn to ‘happiness’ in economics and neuroscience invites a new attention to ideas of positive affect in texts of the Romantic period. Other shifts, including the return to prominence of the aesthetic, and a turn away from certain aspects of ideology critique and deconstruction, have also encouraged a new look at pleasure in Romanticism, especially in the writing of Wordsworth. It details some recent publications on this theme, and points to potential avenues for future research.

KW - pleasure

KW - happiness

KW - romanticism

U2 - 10.1111/j.1741-4113.2010.00726.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1741-4113.2010.00726.x

M3 - Article

VL - 7

SP - 651

EP - 658

JO - Literature Compass

JF - Literature Compass

IS - 8

ER -