The British Industrial Canal: Reading the Waterways from the Eighteenth Century to the Anthropocene
(Hardback)
Publishing Details
The British Industrial Canal: Reading the Waterways from the Eighteenth Century to the Anthropocene
By (Author) Jodie Matthews
University of Wales Press
University of Wales Press
22nd September 2023
United Kingdom
Classifications
Professional and Scholarly
Non Fiction
Literary studies: poetry and poets
Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers
History: specific events and topics
History of science
History of engineering and technology
Industrialisation and industrial history
Ships and boats: general interest
820.9356
Physical Properties
Hardback
264
Width 138mm, Height 216mm
Description
This book tracks the history of engineered water and canals in Great Britain.
Wherever a boat glides along a canal, a pen follows. Bringing together textual treasures from four centuries of waterways writing, The British Industrial Canal explores our relationship with engineered water and canal connections between our industrial and colonial pasts and the Anthropocene. This literary critical voyage travels from 1761, the opening of the Duke of Bridgewaters canal, to the present.
Reviews
"In a book by turns scholarly, lyrical and deeply thought-provoking, Matthews uses the literature of the canal to interrogate history, culture and the politics of nostalgia. Our waterways, cutting through the landscape and fulfilling the role of both industry and nature, tend to be both overlooked and taken for granted ... The British Industrial Canal explores how they have impacted our society and continue to have relevance into the future."-- "Sarah Jasmon, author of The Summer of Secrets (2015) and You Never Told Me (2020)"
Author Bio
Jodie Matthews is professor of literature at the University of Huddersfield, Yorkshire. She is currently head of the Department for Communication and Humanities.
