This book is about literature and history, and the city of London. It invites the reader to walk along the dirty, crowded, and fascinating streets of 18th-century London in an unusual way. Nine leading experts from the fields of literature, history, classics, gender, biography, geography, and costume, offer different interpretations of John Gay's poem Trivia: or, the Art of Walking the Streets of London (1716). The poem — a lively, funny, and thought-provoking statement about urban life — accompanies the chapters. The introduction paints a vibrant picture of London in 1716, depicting Gay's fas ... More

This book is about literature and history, and the city of London. It invites the reader to walk along the dirty, crowded, and fascinating streets of 18th-century London in an unusual way. Nine leading experts from the fields of literature, history, classics, gender, biography, geography, and costume, offer different interpretations of John Gay's poem Trivia: or, the Art of Walking the Streets of London (1716). The poem — a lively, funny, and thought-provoking statement about urban life — accompanies the chapters. The introduction paints a vibrant picture of London in 1716, depicting Gay's fascinating life and literary world, offering an invaluable guide to the poem. Together, these elements allow the heat, grime, and smells of the underbelly of 18th-century London to come alive in new ways.