The great exhibition of 1851 : making sense of the world
My thesis attends to economic, scientific, imperial, cultural, and religious modes of thought which underpinned the Great Exhibition, focusing particularly upon the mid-nineteenth century discourse of political economy. It offers a critical analysis of a broad scope of literature, ranging from texts concerned specifically with the Exhibition to works of fiction which reflect concepts, motifs, and issues pertinent to this example of Victorian visual culture. The Great Exhibition of 1851 can be understood as an event which was intended to provide visual form to a narrative of capitalist progress, a story which told of the material advance and metaphysical improvements inherent to an international division of labour. Exhibition commentary suggested that through the systematic revelation of global industry, the display would make sense of the way the world should work, indicating an autochthonous, providential symmetry to international commerce, and highlighting particular goods, industrial practices, and technologies which would provide the foundations for a dynamic, mutually beneficial global capitalist order. The study examines writing which did indeed herald the display as a systematic rendition of human industry,
Young, Paul Kristian Frederick
The great exhibition of 1851 : making sense of the world. My thesis attends to economic, scientific, imperial, cultural, and religious modes of thought which underpinned the Great Exhibition, focusing particularly upon the mid-nineteenth century discourse of political economy. It offers a critical analysis of a broad scope of literature, ranging from texts concerned specifically with the Exhibition to works of fiction which reflect concepts, motifs, and issues pertinent to this example of Victorian visual culture. The Great Exhibition of 1851 can be understood as an event which was intended to provide visual form to a narrative of capitalist progress, a story which told of the material advance and metaphysical improvements inherent to an international division of labour. Exhibition commentary suggested that through the systematic revelation of global industry, the display would make sense of the way the world should work, indicating an autochthonous, providential symmetry to international commerce, and highlighting particular goods, industrial practices, and technologies which would provide the foundations for a dynamic, mutually beneficial global capitalist order. The study examines writing which did indeed herald the display as a systematic rendition of human industry,
great_exhibition make_sense world economic scientific imperial cultural_religious mode_think underpinned great_exhibition focus_particularly upon discourse political_economy offer_critical analysis broad scope literature range text concern specifically exhibition work fiction reflect concept motif issue pertinent example victorian visual_culture great_exhibition understood event intend_provide visual_form narrative capitalist progress story tell material advance metaphysical improvement inherent international division_labour exhibition commentary suggest systematic revelation global industry display would_make sense way world work indicate providential symmetry international commerce highlight particular good industrial practice technology would_provide foundation dynamic mutually beneficial global capitalist order study_examines write indeed herald display systematic rendition human industry