Reading The Romantic Ridiculous aims to take Romantic Studies from the sublime to the ridiculous. Building on recent work that decentres the myth of the solitary genius, this duograph theorises the ridiculous as an alternative affect to the sublime, privileging collective laughter above solitude and selfishness and reflecting on these ideals through the practice of joint authorship. Tracing the history of the ridiculous through Romantic and post-Romantic debates about sublimity, from the rediscovery of Longinus and the aesthetic theories of Burke and Kant to contemporary queer and postcolonial theory interested in silliness, lowness, and vulnerability, Reading the Romantic Ridiculous explores Romanticism's surprising commitments to ridiculousness in canonical material by writers such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Jane Austen, and Charles Lamb as well as lesser-known material from joke books to children's literature. In theory and practice, this duograph also considers the legacies of Romanticism - and ridiculousness - today, analysing their influence on independent film, sitcoms, and young adult fiction, as well as their place in higher education now.
| ISBN: | 9781032622071 |
| Publication date: | 22nd May 2026 |
| Author: | Andrew McInnes, Rita J Dashwood |
| Publisher: | Routledge an imprint of Taylor & Francis |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 160 pages |
| Series: | Routledge Studies in Nineteenth Century Literature |
| Genres: |
Literary studies: c 1800 to c 1900 Children’s and teenage literature studies: general Literary theory |
Reading The Romantic Ridiculous aims to take Romantic Studies from the sublime to the ridiculous. Building on recent work that decentres the myth of the solitary genius, this duograph theorises the ridiculous as an alternative affect to the sublime, privileging collective laughter above solitude and selfishness and reflecting on these ideals through the practice of joint authorship.
Reading the Romantic Ridiculous features in the following genres: Literary studies: c 1800 to c 1900, Children’s and teenage literature studies: general, Literary theory
Paperback, Hardback. £43.19, down from the £47.99 cover price. Not Available.
Reading the Romantic Ridiculous was written by Andrew McInnes, Rita J Dashwood and published by Routledge an imprint of Taylor & Francis
Reading the Romantic Ridiculous has 160 pages
Yes it is part of Routledge Studies in Nineteenth Century Literature series
£43.19, reduced from £47.99. Not Available.