This book investigates what it is that makes John Clare's poetic vision
so unique, and asks how we use Clare for contemporary ends. It explores
much of the criticism that has appeared in response to his life and
work, and asks hard questions about the modes and motivations of critics
and editors. Clare is increasingly regarded as having been an
environmentalist long before the word appeared; this book investigates
whether this 'green' rush to place him as a radical proto-ecologist does
any disservice to his complex positions in relation to social class,
work, agriculture, poverty and women. This book attempts to unlock
Clare's own theorisations and practices of what we might now call an
'ecological consciousness', and works out how his 'ecocentric' mode
might relate to that of other Romantic poets. Finally, this book asks
how we might treat Clare as our contemporary while still being attentive
to the peculiarities of his unique historical circumstances**.**