Paul Goring demonstrates how eighteenth-century writers and performers, including Samuel Richardson, David Garrick and Laurence Sterne, were involved in the construction of innovative bourgeois ideals of sentimental eloquence in contrast to more patrician, classical bodily modes. Spanning oratory, theatre and the novel, Goring charts the growing links between bodily eloquence and the wider formalities of politeness to reveal a cultural contest concerning the appropriate forms of physical expression.

This guide to eighteenth-century literature and culture provides students with the ideal introduction to literature and its context from 1688-1789, including: the historical, cultural and intellectual background including the expansion of cultural production and the growth of "print culture"; major writers, genres and groups; concise explanations of key terms needed to understand the literature and criticism; an overview of key critical approaches; a chronology mapping historical events and literary works; and a guide to further reading, including websites and electronic resources.

Paul Goring demonstrates how eighteenth-century writers and performers, including Samuel Richardson, David Garrick and Laurence Sterne, were involved in the construction of innovative bourgeois ideals of sentimental eloquence in contrast to more patrician, classical bodily modes. Spanning oratory, theatre and the novel, Goring charts the growing links between bodily eloquence and the wider formalities of politeness to reveal a cultural contest concerning the appropriate forms of physical expression.