The negation of God erected into a system of disaster relief: The British press,Household Words and the great Neapolitan earthquake of 1857

Abstract

This article analyzes the reaction of the British press to the Neapolitan government’s disaster relief efforts following a massive earthquake which struck the Basilicata region in late 1857. The Bourbons’ failure to provide substantive relief and their corresponding effort to hide the scope of the destruction led to a wave of outrage in a range of British periodicals, most notably in literary journals. The article shows how this campaign helped consolidate British public opinion against the Bourbon monarchy at a time when British support for Italian unification was essential. Special consideration is given to Household Words by Charles Dickens, which provided the definitive commentary on the disaster, retelling the story of horrific destruction, local incompetence and ultimate (British) relief efforts with a narrative touch calculated to marshal antipathy towards the Bourbons.