Description
In The Imperial Archive, Thomas Richards analyzes the ways in which the Victorian organization of knowledge was enlisted into the service of the British Empire, as fields like biology, geography and geology began to function almost as extensions of British intelligence. Richards argues that the techniques invented for managing this information explosion established an enduring axis between knowledge and the state and also suggested a powerful new direction for the novel. He illustrates his argument by careful reference to a variety of institutions-above all the growth of the museum-and texts, including works by Rudyard Kipling, Erskine Childers, H.G. Wells and Bram Stoker.
How a rapid influx of information changed Britain and its culture forever
About the Author
Thomas Richards is Associate Professor of English and American literature at Harvard University. He is the author of The Commodity Culture of Victorian Britain: Advertising and Spectacle 1851-1914 and The Imperial Archive: Knowledge and the Fantasy of Empire.
Book Information
ISBN 9780860916055
Author Thomas Richards
Format Paperback
Page Count 192
Imprint Verso Books
Publisher Verso Books
Weight(grams) 246g
Dimensions(mm) 218mm * 137mm * 15mm