Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man (Part 1)

Frances Chiu (New School, International School of Georgia)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.06: English Writing and Culture of the Romantic Period, 1789-1837.
Vol. editors: Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Daniel Robinson (Widener University), Emily Rohrbach (University of Durham)

Domains

Political Science

Dates

First circulation or publication 1791

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Essays/ Lectures (any)
Non-fictional prose

Resources

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When Edmund Burke published his

Reflections on the Revolution in France

(1790), Thomas Paine’s

Rights of Man

was only one of numerous outraged replies that followed. But its fame—and notoriety—was soon to eclipse all, including Burke’s own

Reflections. Rights of Man

, with Part 1 published in 1791 and Part 2 in 1792, would become the bestseller of the century, gaining new admirers and detractors for Paine as it was quickly translated into every European language. If the French intelligentsia admired him sufficiently to grant him citizenship and elect him to their National Assembly in 1792, British radicals would lionize him. At the same time, however, this growing admiration in his native England would also cause consternation for the British government, culminating in burnings of…

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3790 words

Citation: Chiu, Frances. "The Rights of Man (Part 1)". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 February 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7589, accessed 23 November 2024.]