Stemming the Torrent: Expression and Control in the Victorian Discourses on Emotions, 1830-1872.(Reviews of Books)(Book Review)

Gesa Stedman. Stemming the Torrent: Expression and Control in the Victorian Discourses on Emotions, 1830-1872. Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate. 2002. Pp. X, 275. $79.95. ISBN 0-7546-0643-0.

A British journalist opined in 1865 that the forces of modern society--"the introduction of machinery," "the perfection of our administrative system" among them--were producing in his countrymen a "comparative inaction of the passions." "Men will necessarily grow milder," he predicted approvingly, "and life will be embellished by the quieter feelings, ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.