The Atterbury Plot by Eveline Cruickshanks and Howard Erskine-Hill (review)

89 history of key literary texts, a Glossary of terms and concepts, and a Bibliography . A book like Roy Porter’s English Society in the 18th Century (1990) is a better resource for contextual information, but its length, nearly 400 pages, proves difficult to manage in a course focused on literature rather than history. Mr. Goring’s, by contrast, is refreshingly concise. His overview of critical debates regarding canon formation, the development of a literary marketplace, and authorship—including female participation in that marketplace, Britishness, and the role literature played in the movement to abolish slavery—will be useful to students. Mr. Goring’s scope and depth, nevertheless , could be enriched. Literary periods are, of course, arbitrary, and Mr. Goring provides good arguments for starting with the dates that demarcate his sense of the period. But since his conception of ‘‘eighteenth century’’ begins with the ‘‘Glorious Revolution’’ in 1688, he might have considered going back to 1660, the starting point for the period in most anthologies and survey courses. This is particularly true of eighteenth-century theater. While Mr. Goring naturally refers to the Restoration Comedy of Manners and the Collier Controversy, his overview would benefit from a discussion of the libertinism of the Restoration era as well as mention of important theatrical developments, including the introduction of women on the stage. Perhaps the most disappointing omission is Mr. Goring’s brief discussion of the debates over the rise of the novel. He accurately states that it is among the hottest topics in eighteenth-century studies, yet devotes only a paragraph to it. (He devotes well over a page to ‘‘Literature , slavery and the abolition movement ’’). His Bibliography for ‘‘Prose Fiction’’ includes J. Paul Hunter and Ian Watt, but not Michael McKeon, Lennard Davis, Catherine Gallagher, Margaret Doody, and Homer Brown. Even with such omissions, Mr. Goring’s textbook will enhance eighteenth-century survey courses. Brett C. McInelly Brigham Young University EVELINE CRUICKSHANKS and HOWARD ERSKINE-HILL. The Atterbury Plot. New York: Palgrave, 2004. Pp. xi ⫹ 312. $79.95. Francis Atterbury (1663–1732) was one of the brightest stars in the Augustan firmament, famous in life for his wit, rhetorical skills, and theological brilliance . Today, however, he is known mostly for his role in the Jacobite conspiracy that bears his name, and for which he suffered deprivation from his see of Rochester and exile. Atterbury’s high Tory politics grew naturally from his Oxford education and his leadership of the High Church party in Convocation under William III and Anne. But he was not converted to Jacobitism until 1716, when it was clear that George I’s exclusion of Tories from influence was irrevocable. The diocese of Rochester was by no means suitable for the ambitions of one as restless and talented as Atterbury, and his frustration led to a decision to throw in his lot with the king over the water, as his followers referred to the pretender, James III. Embracing Jacobitism meant embracing political conspiracy, and Atterbury soon became caught up in the intrigue that followed the defeat of the 1715 rebellion . 90 By 1720 prospects for successful action by the Jacobites seemed improved. The South Sea Bubble’s collapse in the autumn of 1720 added anger and uncertainty to the picture, alienating many from the regime. There was widespread dissatisfaction with the ministry, which was only just emerging from a period of instability. While Robert Walpole proved resourceful and durable, his enemies had not yet fully tested his abilities . Serious planning for a rising began late in 1720; the conspirators dispatched emissaries to confer with the Stuart and French courts, with the aim of securing men, money, and equipment. Ms. Cruickshanks and Mr. ErskineHill argue that the conspiracy was ‘‘a serious and intelligent project’’ with real prospects for success. The historical moment in which it unfolded, the early 1720s, was, they believe, not unlike that of the late 1650s—Britain was ruled in each by unstable regimes whose ability to survive was questionable. Certainly Atterbury and his fellows seriously pursued their goals, although they might have underestimated the challenges they faced. A major factor in the failure of their plan was the treachery endemic to Jacobite conspiracy...