This book examines the Great Exhibition as a decisive moment in the formation of a capitalist world picture. In so doing it foregrounds a vision of peace and progress which took hold of British society, within the Crystal Palace and beyond. It emphasizes too that this Victorian understanding of global order legitimized imperial ambition.

About the Author
PAUL YOUNG is Lecturer in Victorian Literature and Culture at the University of Exeter, UK.

Reviews

'Young's thought-provoking study succeeds in capturing the frictions, discontinuities and negotiations between one of the exhibition's abstract 'grand narratives' and the plurality of competing narratives which the heterogeneous material culture of the display inspired.' - ZAA

Book Information
ISBN 9780230520752
Author Paul Young
Format Hardback
Page Count 249
Imprint Palgrave Macmillan
Publisher Palgrave Macmillan