Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Introduction Old Lakeland: The Golden Age Ideal Land Tenure: A Lake District Survey Wordsworth and Cobbett: A Comparison Wordsworth and Burke: A Contrast Wordsworth: A Weberian Account General Conclusion Appendix I: Wordsworth's Use of the Words Peasant and Peasantry in his Poems 1787-1850 Appendix II: Wordsworth and 'the vices of an archaic tenurial law': A Rebuttal of Criticisms by V.G. Keirnan Reference Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author

MARK KEAY is a freelance historian and biographer. He received a postgraduate award scholarship from the School of Australian and International Studies at Deakin University, Geelong, to research 'Golden Age theories' both in Modern English History and Literature.