Reassessing the Social and Cultural Dynamics of Punch

This book goes beyond an analysis of the already familiar main extracts of Punch and advances the argument that the magazine should not be used selectively as primary material. A specific approach to how text and image are working in Punch is developed through an examination of the magazine's distinct verbal visual dynamics, while visual and verbal motifs across the magazine are analysed to reveal who Punch was in dialogue with and, consequently, who its perceived readers may have been.

Drawing on a range of primary data, this book uses a thematic case study to undertake a systematic re-examination of Punch's distinctive stylistic form from 1841 to 1858. The Punch campaigns surrounding public health reform, a comparatively neglected topic in Punch scholarship, are looked at closely. This will allow us to reconsider the social and cultural dynamics that contributed to the success of Punch more generally. The book will include numerous illustrations, a range of appendices and a thorough consideration of the role that digital archives and repositories will play in future research.