Title: The possibilities of society
First published: 1997
Description: This innovative book revises many standard assumptions in both literary and sociological fields. Approaching English Romanticism through sociological theory, Hewitt argues that Wordsworth and Coleridge tested hypotheses about social organization and (inter)action in their poetry. She analyzes their achievements in representative works and looks at ways in which Byron, Shelley, and Keats modified the older poets' endeavor.

She also describes the context for "poetic" sociology within the intellectual systems of the poets' day, comparing it to the context in which "scientific" sociology was later institutionalized. Hewitt's work offers a timely reevaluation of the Romantic poets as socially engaged thinkers. Moreover, her reconstruction of a "poetic" sociology identifies an alternative field of knowledge that contemporary scholars might still explore.
Subjects: Political and social views, History, English literature, Social problems in literature, Literature and society, History and criticism, Romanticism, Wordsworth, william, 1770-1850, Coleridge, samuel taylor, 1772-1834, English literature, history and criticism, 19th century, Romanticism, great britain
Places: England
People: William Wordsworth (1770-1850), Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)
Time periods: 19th century
LC classification: PR5892.S58 H49 1997