Reynolds's Newspaper and Victorian Populism, 1850-1879

This chapter explores the language and politics of Reynolds's Newspaper between 1850 and 1879. It argues that its approach was 'populist' and explores how this term can be employed in a Victorian context. 'Populism' is defined as the product of the encounter between political ideology and popular culture. It had (and has) a complex relationship with politics based upon social class. Reynolds's Newspaper maintained an essentially Chartist analysis well into the mid-Victorian period but also drew on many themes in popular culture (including melodrama, sensation and the fear of crime) in order to make its politics accessible and persuasive to its readership. It blamed the problems of Britain on the power of the aristocracy which it believed corrupted society. The chapter interrogates the language of the editorials in the newspaper (written by Reynolds and other journalists) in order to explore its world view.