TheLiteraryandCulturalSpacesofRestorationLondon

InSeptember1666theGreatFiredestroyedfour-fifthsoftheancientCityofLondonwithinthreedays.Allthathadbeenfamiliar,settled,known,wassuddenlyandentirelysweptaway.Londonersfacedanemptinessthatwasnotonlyphysicalbutalsohistorical,social,financialandconceptual.TheLiteraryandCulturalSpacesofRestorationLondonisthefirststudytosituatetheliteratureofRestorationandearlyAugustanEnglandwithinthehistoricalandculturalcontextsoftherebuildingofLondonaftertheGreatFire.CynthiaWallrelatesthemarkedtopographicalspecificityofplays,poemsandnovelstoawiderculturalnetworkofresponsestochangingperceptionsofurbanspace,andsheshowshowtheliteraturesoftheperiod-alongwiththesurveying,mapping,rebuildingandofficialredescribingofthecity-attempttoreinvestthecitywithcomprehensiblemeaningandcreatenewspacesfornewgenres.