Robert Bage, Hermsprong, Or Man as He is Not

Pam Perkins (University of Manitoba)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1796

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Robert Bage’s Hermsprong was unlucky in its timing. Published in 1796, it is an exuberant, comic celebration of free debate and independent thought, featuring a boldly outspoken hero who challenges representatives of church and state to adhere to the values they nominally uphold, and a forthright heroine who capably employs charm, intelligence — and on one occasion a pistol — to defeat her enemies. It exemplifies the liberal values endorsed by a number of writers of the 1780s and early 90s, yet within a few years of publication, it was already starting to seem hopelessly old-fashioned, tainted by its author’s outmoded, even dangerous political views. As early as 1810, Anna Laetitia Barbauld, who advocated moderate …

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

1276 words

Citation: Perkins, Pam. "Hermsprong, Or Man as He is Not". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 June 2003 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4771, accessed 25 November 2024.]

Save this article