Pamphlet Poetry and the South Sea Bubble

This chapter examines a range of poetry pamphlets published by the British popular press during the blowing and bursting of the South Sea Bubble in 1720. While there is a significant body of critical writing about literary responses to the Bubble, the majority of this effort has focused on writing published substantially after 1720. This chapter shows that literary writing immediately contemporary with the Bubble year provides a hitherto neglected perspective on the financial crisis and the import of the Bubble Act. It begins with a discussion of artistic responses to the Bubble from a range of different media, before performing a close analysis of pamphlets published during the South Sea Company’s ascendancy and fall. Finally, it argues that the poems studied offer nuanced critical interpretations of the British financial market and of the South Sea Company’s investment scheme.