Early Modern History

Theresa M. Kelley explains that in the years leading up to the French Revolution, writers of political prophecy such as Mary Shelley celebrated—or mourned—what they believed lay ahead. Yet after the Reign of Terror, writers became more wary of imagining a desired future. In this talk she considers how this new wariness of prophecy transformed Romantic understanding of time, possibility, and change. Kelley is professor of English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Avery Distinguished Fellow at The Huntington in 2013–14.