Introduction: Rural Modernity in Britain

Abstract

The introduction defines what is meant by rural modernity, what work has informed this understanding, and how this concept offers a new reading of early twentieth-century British literature, art, and culture. It begins with an analysis of ongoing work in social history, rural studies, and cultural geography that has engaged with ideas of rural modernity. It then considers recent work in literary studies and modernist studies that tends to polarize the writers, artists, and their works that this book brings together. Finally, it offers a rationale for the organization of this collection of essays, provides a brief summary of individual chapters, and draws out the themes explored within and developed across chapters.