The age of Enlightenment was also an age of development of sporting and physical activities. This book aims to study the forms of sociability induced and defined by such activities in the eighteenth century. By bringing together archival work and textual analysis the book insists on the definitions and representations of sporting practices. These range from traditional pastimes such as hunting or archery, to more novel forms of recreation such as swimming or mountaineering. The book investigates the modes of association which were set in motion either through participation, or through various forms of spectatorship (ranging from watching to betting). Societies, associations, clubs, and more informal gatherings characterised this burgeoning interest for sports. They provoked new interactions between individuals and the social group, new forms of distinction as well, and transformed the apprehension of the natural world. Through a variety of case studies, the book provides an original perspective on the transformations of sociability in the eighteenth century. It integrates the findings of historical inquiry into groups and associations linked with sports as well as the analysis of the literary projections of such physical activities, notably by the Romantic poets from Thomson to Keats.
| ISBN: | 9781836245278 |
| Publication date: | 14th October 2025 |
| Author: | Alexis Tadié, Caroline Bertonèche |
| Publisher: | Voltaire Foundation an imprint of Liverpool University Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 288 pages |
| Series: | Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment |
| Genres: |
Literary studies: c 1600 to c 1800 Literary studies: c 1800 to c 1900 Cultural studies Social groups: clubs and societies European history: Reformation History of sport |
The age of Enlightenment was also an age of development of sporting and physical activities. This book aims to study the forms of sociability induced and defined by such activities in the eighteenth century. By bringing together archival work and textual analysis the book insists on the definitions and representations of sporting practices. These range from traditional pastimes such as hunting or archery, to more novel forms of recreation such as swimming or mountaineering. The book investigates the modes of association which were set in motion either through participation, or through various forms of spectatorship (ranging from watching to betting). Societies, associations, clubs, and more informal gatherings characterised this burgeoning interest for sports. They provoked new interactions between individuals and the social group, new forms of distinction as well, and transformed the apprehension of the natural world. Through a variety of case studies, the book provides an original perspective on the transformations of sociability in the eighteenth century. It integrates the findings of historical inquiry into groups and associations linked with sports as well as the analysis of the literary projections of such physical activities, notably by the Romantic poets from Thomson to Keats.
Sports and Sociability in Britain in the Long Eighteenth Century features in the following genres: Literary studies: c 1600 to c 1800, Literary studies: c 1800 to c 1900, Cultural studies, Social groups: clubs and societies, European history: Reformation, History of sport
Sports and Sociability in Britain in the Long Eighteenth Century is available in Paperback
Sports and Sociability in Britain in the Long Eighteenth Century was written by Alexis Tadié, Caroline Bertonèche and published by Voltaire Foundation an imprint of Liverpool University Press
Sports and Sociability in Britain in the Long Eighteenth Century has 288 pages
Yes it is part of Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment series
£85.00