Re-reading the Constitution
New Narratives in the Political History of England's Long Nineteenth Century

A re-examination of the debates over the meaning of the English constitution, first published in 1996.

James Vernon (Edited by)

9780521464741, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 28 November 1996

280 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.58 kg

"James Vernon's Re-reading the Constitution: New Narratives in the Political History of England's Long Nineteenth Century is a useful study that reminds us that the monarchy was a part of a wider conception of government." David Nash, Nineteenth Century Studies

This 1996 volume of essays is about something which (for many) does not exist and yet which remains central to our understanding of English politics, history and national identity - the constitution. As European integration and demands for constitutional reform have once again moved the constitution to the centre of contemporary politics, an impressive team of contributors re-examines aspects of the debates over the meaning of the constitution and 'public opinion' in the long nineteenth century, from a sedition trial in the 1790s to the enfranchisement of certain women in 1918. With essays engaging with the histories of law, medicine and even with history as a discipline, the book takes stock of the state of the cultural history of English politics, consolidating upon much of the most innovative work in recent years as well as suggesting ways of re-reading the traditional narratives of English political history.

List of figures
Notes on the contributors
Acknowledgements
1. Notes towards an introduction James Vernon
2. 'Our real constitution': trial defence and radical memory in the age of revolution James Epstein
3. The English people and their constitution after Waterloo: parliamentary reform, 1815–17 Jonathan Fulcher
4. Public opinion, violence and the limits of constitutional politics Dror Wahrman
5. Making room at the public bar: coroners' inquests, medical knowledge and the politics of the constitution in early nineteenth-century England Ian Burney
6. Republicanism reappraised: anti-monarchism and the English radical tradition, 1850–72 Antony Taylor
7. The constitution and the narrative structure of Victorian politics Patrick Joyce
8. Narrating the constitution: the discourse of 'the real' and the fantasies of nineteenth-century constitutional history James Vernon
9. Gender, class and the constitution: franchise reform in England, 1832–1928 Anna Clark
Index.

Subject Areas: Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], British & Irish history [HBJD1]