The merrie England triptych: Robert Blatchford, Edward Fay and the diadactic use of clarion fiction

Abstract

This article discusses the importance of the serialised fiction published at the same time as Robert Blatchford's socialist polemic 'Merrie England'. It argues that the surrounding fiction expanded and elaborated the political arguments and ideas raised in Blatchford's vision, and that publication outside of the Clarion necessitated additional text to fill the gaps previously filled by the serial fiction.