Expressions of National Sentiment
Skeptical and suspicious, by 1803 the public dissatisfaction with misleading truces and resulting anxieties of potential invasion were manifested in a spate of printed materials intended simultaneously to deride and buffoon and to inspire fear and action. The tales of atrocities from battles in Syria and Egypt, illustrations of fellow citizens in shackles, unappetizing meals of frog legs, and rousing new lyrics to traditional songs all served to galvanize sentiment as well as warn of Napoleon’s intentions in Britain. The popular periodical, Gentleman’s Magazine, took up the conversation and included reproductions of poems, satires, and broadside texts in its issues. Even the ghost of Shakespeare was enlisted to give voice to the English cause. From theatrical spoofs to caricatured illustrations of public officials, the escalating campaign of political rhetoric encompassed every popular genre and format as a means to arouse all classes and audiences into one united country.