The Pleasures of the Imagination

The Pleasures of the Imagination examines the birth and development of English "high culture" in the eighteenth century. It charts the growth of a literary and artistic world fostered by publishers, theatrical and musical impresarios, picture dealers and auctioneers, and presented to th public in coffee-houses, concert halls, libraries, theatres and pleasure gardens. In 1660, there were few professional authors, musicians and painters, no public concert series, galleries, newspaper critics or reviews. By the dawn of the nineteenth century they were all aprt of the cultural life of the nation.

INTRODUCTION; Part I Part I CONTEXTS; Chapter 1 CHANGING PLACES; Chapter 2 THE PLEASURES OF THE IMAGINATION; Part II Part II PRINT; Chapter 3 AUTHORS, PUBLISHERS AND THE MAKING OF LITERARY CULTURE; Chapter 4 READERS AND THE READING PUBLIC; Part III Part III PAINT; Chapter 5 THE MARKET AND THE ACADEMY; Chapter 6 CONNOISSEURS AND ARTISTS; Chapter 7 PAINTERS' PRACTICE, ARTISTS' LIVES; Part IV Part IV PERFORMANCE; Chapter 8 THE GEORGIAN STAGE; Chapter 9 THE THEATRE, POWER AND COMMERCE; Chapter 10 Chapter 10 PERFORMANCE FOR THE NATION; Part V Part V MAKING A NATIONAL HERITAGE; Chapter 11 BORROWING, COPYING AND COLLECTING; Part VI Part VI PROVINCE AND NATION; Chapter 12 THE ENGLISH PROVINCES; Chapter 13 THOMAS BEWICK; Chapter 14 'THE HARMONY OF HEAVEN'; Chapter 15 'QUEEN MUSE OF BRITAIN'; Part VII Part VII BRITAIN; Chapter 16 CULTURE, NATURE AND NATION; CONCLUSION; BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX;