Manu Samriti Chander's Brown Romantics: Poetry and Nationalism in the Global Nineteenth Century

Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

2021

Abstract

The last decade has witnessed increasing critical interest in questions of race, nation, and empire during the Romantic era. Manu Samriti Chander's Brown Romantics: Poetry and Nationalism in the Global Nineteenth Century contributes to this discussion by examining the extensive international impact of Romantic poetry on writers beyond Britain. Part of Bucknell University Press's Transits: Literature, Thought, and Culture series, his work provides a fascinating and unique perspective on global literary relations. He demonstrates how Henry Derozio of India, Egbert Martin of British Guiana, and Henry Lawson of Australia adopted the role of the Romantic author to shape nationalist movements in their countries and mediate their colonial relationship with England. By reading British writers in relation to those of other nations, Brown Romantics questions the privileging of a Eurocentric canon and challenges us to widen our definition of ‘Romantic’ literature.

Comments

Review of the book Brown Romantics: Poetry and Nationalism in the Global Nineteenth Century, by Manu Samriti Chander.

DOI

10.3366/rom.2021.0497


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