History of the Eighteenth Century in Ten Poems

An introduction to the world of fashion and the politics of the petticoat, seen through the poetry of the time. This podcast gives a glimpse into the social and cultural history of fashion in the eighteenth century by looking at the representation of petticoats.

This podcasts introduces the popular eighteenth century epigram. Epigrams were hugely popular in the eighteenth century, and this podcast explores some of their appeal.

This podcast explores the culture of Jacobitism in the eighteenth century, using a popular ballad. The culture of Jacobite politics took many forms in the eighteenth century. This podcast explores its expression in popular song.

Smallpox was rife in the eighteenth century, leaving its mark both on its sufferers, and on the literature of the period. This podcast explores its history in verse. Smallpox was common during the eighteenth-century, and its aftereffects much discussed and lamented in popular literature. This podcast explores its representation in eighteenth-century verse.

Explores the aesthetics and impact of war poetry in the early eighteenth century, focussing on Joseph Addison's poem, The Campaign. Blood, guts and gore all feature heavily in eighteenth century war poems. This podcast explores the popularity of the early eighteenth-century battle poem.