Wessex

Landscapes, Histories and Identities

Andrew Pickering, Julia Wiedemann

• Publisher: Königshausen & Neumann
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN:
  9783826075209
• eBook ISBN:
  9783826087523
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Philosophy History & Theory

Once an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Wessex became a cultural category in its own right in the nineteenth century due to the writings of Thomas Hardy. Hardy created Wessex in order to exemplify social developments within the nation. However, in his work, Wessex also became a region with local characteristics. Due to the latter, Wessex soon provided a reference point for (regional) identities. The volume Wessex: Landscapes, Histories and Identities is dedicated to the historical Wessex as well as to the history of modern Wessex. In order to illustrate the multifaceted nature of this region, the volume will contain articles from different disciplines in European Studies such as literary studies, history and linguistics. In these articles, theories of collective identities will play a central role. At the same time, Wessex will be understood as a construction of place, which is marked by specific spatial practices. This volume is the result of a workshop, which was conducted during the summer term 2021 with students of the MA programme European Studies at the Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt. Therefore, the volume also comprises articles written by students. It is part of the series Eichstätter Europastudien.

Table of contents

• Frontmatter
• ANDREW PICKERING Preface
• JULIA WIEDEMANN Introduction
• FRANK ERIK POINTNER Wessex and Its Arthurian Heritage
• GARY KEARLEY A Contested Landscape Wessex and the Battle of Sedgemoor (1685)
• PAULINE HELMHOLD The Myths of National Founding Fathers Arminius the Cheruscan and Alfred the Great
• ANNA RICHTER Celebrating the ‘Founding Father of All Things English’ Manifestations of the Sacralisation and Ideological Instrumentalisation of Alfred the Great
• JULIA WIEDEMANN Walking the Country, Writing the Nation Travel Literature and the “Production” of Wessex
• MAURO FIERRO Wessex in E.M. Forster’s “The Machine Stops” Physical Reality vs. Utopian Longing
• ANDREW PICKERING John Steinbeck and the Kings of Wessex
• RICHARD NATE “England Herself” Rolf Gardiner’s Vision of Wessex and Its European Implications
• Backmatter