Great Expectations: Futurity in the Long Eighteenth Century

What did eighteenth-century men and women think about when they contemplated the future? What was hidden in the &«dark bosom of futurity», as Richardson's Pamela calls it? Do all types of literature that supply a critique of the present conjure up an idealized past or a vision of a better future? Predictions and prophecies - not only astrological but also political ones, utopian models, theological concepts like predestination, progress in the sciences, and, last but not least, life-after-death, both in the form of secular fame and the immortal soul, are among the topics addressed by the essays collected in this volume.