This important contribution to both Romantic and cultural studies situates literature by Wordsworth, Southey, Hunt, Clare, and Blake within the context of folklore and popular customs associated with May Day. Essaka Joshua shows how Romantic writers have positioned themselves in relation to what has become known as the public sphere, and the way in which they articulate an understanding of the common sphere as a site of plebeian self-expression.

Essaka Joshua is a Lecturer in the Department of English, School of Humanities, University of Birmingham, UK.

General Editors' Preface, List of Figures, Acknowledgements, 1. The Rise of Folklore, 2. 'Precious rites and customs': The Lake Poets, 3. 'Very fond of nature, very fond of art': Leigh Hunt and May Day, 4. May Day in the city: William Blake, 5. 'a greater fame than poets ever knew': John Clare and common Fame, 6. Conclusion, Bibliography