Doctor Beddoes's Democratic Toys: Education, Embodiment, and Empowerment. Issue 2 (October 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Robertson, Lisa Ann
• Is Part Of: Essays in romanticism. Volume 26:Issue 2(2019)
• Page Start: 115
• Page End: 129
• Publication Date: 2019-10
• Subjects: Romanticism -- Periodicals; 820.9145
• DOI: 10.3828/eir.2019.26.2.4
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2049-6699

Abstract

Abstract : Though he is primarily known for his researches into factitious airs, Beddoes also designed a set of "rational toys" intended for use by parents and in schools. This article reads the toys in conjunction with texts by Beddoes himself and others in his circle that advocate political, social, and educational reform. The rational toys, I argue, are a material manifestation of Beddoes's democratic materialist philosophy. Furthermore, they represent not only his own philosophical beliefs, but point to a larger trend in Romantic pedagogy that was adopted by figures connected to the Bristol circle, such as Erasmus Darwin, Tom Wedgwood, and William Wordsworth.