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Landscape and the geographical imagination of J.B. Priestley: 1913-1930

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posted on 2023-06-08, 16:26 authored by Roger Jenness
There are a number of studies on J.B. Priestley’s life and work including assessments of his novels, social and political writings and contribution to English culture. Some of these studies have commented on Priestley and landscape, especially his attachment to Bradford and rural Yorkshire. There are no detailed studies, however, relating to his geographical imagination. The purpose of this research is a survey and interpretation of Priestley’s work to form a source of information and ideas relating to landscape, dwelling and topophilia as the basis of his geographical imagination. The thesis will consider, firstly, what he wrote relating to the origin and form of his attachment to Bradford and rural Yorkshire as indicated by his articles in the Bradford Pioneer in 1913, a Labour newspaper published in Bradford. The thesis explains the extent to which he continued this attachment in his later work after the First World War before writing about London. In the next stage I approach the novel Angel Pavement in terms of his responses to London in relation to the provinces. Finally, the research is concerned with how Angel Pavement represented the landscape and identity of London in about 1930. The main contribution of the research is its detailed response to Priestley’s thoughts on urban and rural landscapes in his early journalism and popular fiction. The research is organized around two main themes. The first of these is concerned with the origin of Priestley’s attachment to Bradford and rural Yorkshire. The second considers how this attachment has influenced later work, in particular how he approached writing about London.

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  • Published version

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125.0

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  • Geography Theses

Qualification level

  • masters

Qualification name

  • mphil

Language

  • eng

Institution

University of Sussex

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  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2013-12-02

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