The Poets Laureate of the Long Eighteenth Century, 1668–1813

In the eighteenth century the office of the poet laureate of Britain and the British court were evolving and entwined with one another. This book examines the office’s institutional changes and public reception, the mechanics of each laureate’s appointment, and the works they produced before and after their appointments. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the book argues that the laureateship played a key part in some of the most vital trends in eighteenth-century culture.