Book contents
- Daniel Defoe in Context
- Daniel Defoe in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Notes on Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- Part I Life and Works
- Part II Literary Context
- Part III Authorship and Copyright
- Part IV The Monarchy and Parliament
- Chapter 19 Politics
- Chapter 20 Defoe and the Glorious Revolution
- Chapter 21 Defoe and Monarchy
- Chapter 22 The Act of Union
- Part V Social Structures and Social Life
- Part VI Critical Fortunes and Literary Afterlife
- Further Reading
- Index
Chapter 19 - Politics
from Part IV - The Monarchy and Parliament
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 April 2023
- Daniel Defoe in Context
- Daniel Defoe in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Notes on Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- Part I Life and Works
- Part II Literary Context
- Part III Authorship and Copyright
- Part IV The Monarchy and Parliament
- Chapter 19 Politics
- Chapter 20 Defoe and the Glorious Revolution
- Chapter 21 Defoe and Monarchy
- Chapter 22 The Act of Union
- Part V Social Structures and Social Life
- Part VI Critical Fortunes and Literary Afterlife
- Further Reading
- Index
Summary
Defoe came to professional writing amidst the first ’Age of Party’, when Tories and Whigs debated fundamental questions about the nature of government, the religious settlement, and international relations. Poets, pamphleteers, and periodical journalists scrutinized and speculated upon affairs of state in an expanding print culture, seeking to shape public debate, often on behalf of politicians. Defoe was among the most prolific and percipient commentators of his day but also one of the most vilified, being employed alternately by Whig and Tory ministries and hence denounced as a hack and a hireling. This chapter attests to Defoe’s underlying political principles: the 1688 Revolution’s establishment of contractarian government, the Protestant succession and toleration of Nonconformity, and a balance of power in Europe. But it also shows his varying degrees of success in remaining consistent at a time when circumstances forced him to expediencies and compromises which have shaped his legacy.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Daniel Defoe in Context , pp. 155 - 162Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023