Routledge - The Moving Body and the English Romantic Imaginary

Explore the complex relationship between movement and identity in the Romantic period with The Moving Body and the English Romantic Imaginary. Published by Routledge as part of the Routledge Studies in Romanticism, this book examines how England defined its place within the United Kingdom and the wider world through the lens of dance and performance. By analyzing discussions of dance, dancers, and dance theory, this work reveals how the physical body was used to construct a sense of English exceptionalism. The text looks at how movement engaged with concepts of physical training, anatomy, and spectacle. It also covers how dance functioned through pathology, parody, and sentiment within the cultural landscape of the era. Readers will find a deep investigation into how dance appeared in period fiction and periodical essays. This study provides a clear look at the ways in which spectatorship and the physical body shaped the Romantic imaginary and influenced cultural perceptions of the time.