The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes - a summary review

The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes - a summary review

Author: Stefan Szczelkun

Publisher: Stefan Szczelkun

Published: 2023-12-17

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13:

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Jonathan Rose's book has become a classic. It mainly covers the C19th and early C20th tending to avoid or mute the inane politics and tends to prop up the presumed goodness of the canon of English Literature. In spite of the liberal bias it's easy to get lots of interesting stuff out of the book and my reading attempts to steer the information back towards working class liberation. Rose's work is based on the prior compilation of around 2000 memoirs and autobiographies by working class people. This collection allows the reading habits of working class people in this period to be visible for the first time and some startling things become evident about the C19th. Rose is no EP Thompson but the richness of his data source is rewarding.


Book Synopsis The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes - a summary review by : Stefan Szczelkun

Download or read book The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes - a summary review written by Stefan Szczelkun and published by Stefan Szczelkun. This book was released on 2023-12-17 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jonathan Rose's book has become a classic. It mainly covers the C19th and early C20th tending to avoid or mute the inane politics and tends to prop up the presumed goodness of the canon of English Literature. In spite of the liberal bias it's easy to get lots of interesting stuff out of the book and my reading attempts to steer the information back towards working class liberation. Rose's work is based on the prior compilation of around 2000 memoirs and autobiographies by working class people. This collection allows the reading habits of working class people in this period to be visible for the first time and some startling things become evident about the C19th. Rose is no EP Thompson but the richness of his data source is rewarding.

The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes

The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes

Author: Jonathan Rose

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2021-07-20

Total Pages: 557

ISBN-13: 0300259824

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This is a landmark intellectual history of Britain’s working classes from the preindustrial era to the twentieth century. Drawing on workers’ memoirs, social surveys, library registers, and more, Jonathan Rose uncovers which books people read, how they educated themselves, and what they knew. A new preface addresses the continuing relevance of the book amidst the upheavals of the present day. “An astonishing book.”—Ian Sansom, The Guardian “A passionate work of history. . . . Rose has written a work of staggering ambition.”—Daniel Akst, Wall Street Journal Winner of the SHARP Book History Prize, the American Philosophical Society’s Jacques Barzun Prize, and the British Council Prize cowinner of the Longman-History Today Book of the Year Prize for 2001; named one of the finest books of 2001 by The Economist.


Book Synopsis The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes by : Jonathan Rose

Download or read book The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes written by Jonathan Rose and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2021-07-20 with total page 557 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a landmark intellectual history of Britain’s working classes from the preindustrial era to the twentieth century. Drawing on workers’ memoirs, social surveys, library registers, and more, Jonathan Rose uncovers which books people read, how they educated themselves, and what they knew. A new preface addresses the continuing relevance of the book amidst the upheavals of the present day. “An astonishing book.”—Ian Sansom, The Guardian “A passionate work of history. . . . Rose has written a work of staggering ambition.”—Daniel Akst, Wall Street Journal Winner of the SHARP Book History Prize, the American Philosophical Society’s Jacques Barzun Prize, and the British Council Prize cowinner of the Longman-History Today Book of the Year Prize for 2001; named one of the finest books of 2001 by The Economist.

The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes

The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes

Author: Jonathan Rose

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2001-01-01

Total Pages: 548

ISBN-13: 9780300098082

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This landmark book traces the rise and decline of the British autodidact from the pre-industrial era to the twentieth century. Using innovative research techniques and a vast range of unexpected sources such as workers' memoris, social surveys and library registers, Rose shows which books people read, how and why they educated themselves, and what they knew. In the process he shines a bold new light on working class politics, ideology, popular culture and the life of the mind. This book has won the Longman-History Today Book of the Year Award 2001, the SHARP History Book Prize, the Jacques Barzun Prize in Cultural History 2001 and the New Jersey Council for the Humanities Book Award. Book jacket.


Book Synopsis The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes by : Jonathan Rose

Download or read book The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes written by Jonathan Rose and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This landmark book traces the rise and decline of the British autodidact from the pre-industrial era to the twentieth century. Using innovative research techniques and a vast range of unexpected sources such as workers' memoris, social surveys and library registers, Rose shows which books people read, how and why they educated themselves, and what they knew. In the process he shines a bold new light on working class politics, ideology, popular culture and the life of the mind. This book has won the Longman-History Today Book of the Year Award 2001, the SHARP History Book Prize, the Jacques Barzun Prize in Cultural History 2001 and the New Jersey Council for the Humanities Book Award. Book jacket.

The Making of the English Working Class

The Making of the English Working Class

Author: E. P. Thompson

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2016-03-15

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 1504022173

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A history of the common people and the Industrial Revolution: “A true masterpiece” and one of the Modern Library’s 100 Best Nonfiction Books of the twentieth century (Tribune). During the formative years of the Industrial Revolution, English workers and artisans claimed a place in society that would shape the following centuries. But the capitalist elite did not form the working class—the workers shaped their own creations, developing a shared identity in the process. Despite their lack of power and the indignity forced upon them by the upper classes, the working class emerged as England’s greatest cultural and political force. Crucial to contemporary trends in all aspects of society, at the turn of the nineteenth century, these workers united into the class that we recognize all across the Western world today. E. P. Thompson’s magnum opus, The Making of the English Working Class defined early twentieth-century English social and economic history, leading many to consider him Britain’s greatest postwar historian. Its publication in 1963 was highly controversial in academia, but the work has become a seminal text on the history of the working class. It remains incredibly relevant to the social and economic issues of current times, with the Guardian saying upon the book’s fiftieth anniversary that it “continues to delight and inspire new readers.”


Book Synopsis The Making of the English Working Class by : E. P. Thompson

Download or read book The Making of the English Working Class written by E. P. Thompson and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2016-03-15 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of the common people and the Industrial Revolution: “A true masterpiece” and one of the Modern Library’s 100 Best Nonfiction Books of the twentieth century (Tribune). During the formative years of the Industrial Revolution, English workers and artisans claimed a place in society that would shape the following centuries. But the capitalist elite did not form the working class—the workers shaped their own creations, developing a shared identity in the process. Despite their lack of power and the indignity forced upon them by the upper classes, the working class emerged as England’s greatest cultural and political force. Crucial to contemporary trends in all aspects of society, at the turn of the nineteenth century, these workers united into the class that we recognize all across the Western world today. E. P. Thompson’s magnum opus, The Making of the English Working Class defined early twentieth-century English social and economic history, leading many to consider him Britain’s greatest postwar historian. Its publication in 1963 was highly controversial in academia, but the work has become a seminal text on the history of the working class. It remains incredibly relevant to the social and economic issues of current times, with the Guardian saying upon the book’s fiftieth anniversary that it “continues to delight and inspire new readers.”

A Return to the Common Reader

A Return to the Common Reader

Author: Adelene Buckland

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-03-02

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 135196190X

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In 1957, Richard Altick's groundbreaking work The English Common Reader transformed the study of book history. Putting readers at the centre of literary culture, Altick anticipated-and helped produce-fifty years of scholarly inquiry into the ways and means by which the Victorians read. Now, A Return to the Common Reader asks what Altick's concept of the 'common reader' actually means in the wake of a half-century of research. Digging deep into unusual and eclectic archives and hitherto-overlooked sources, its authors give new understanding to the masses of newly literate readers who picked up books in the Victorian period. They find readers in prisons, in the barracks, and around the world, and they remind us of the power of those forgotten readers to find forbidden texts, shape new markets, and drive the production of new reading material across a century. Inspired and informed by Altick's seminal work, A Return to the Common Reader is a cutting-edge collection which dramatically reconfigures our understanding of the ordinary Victorian readers whose efforts and choices changed our literary culture forever.


Book Synopsis A Return to the Common Reader by : Adelene Buckland

Download or read book A Return to the Common Reader written by Adelene Buckland and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-03-02 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1957, Richard Altick's groundbreaking work The English Common Reader transformed the study of book history. Putting readers at the centre of literary culture, Altick anticipated-and helped produce-fifty years of scholarly inquiry into the ways and means by which the Victorians read. Now, A Return to the Common Reader asks what Altick's concept of the 'common reader' actually means in the wake of a half-century of research. Digging deep into unusual and eclectic archives and hitherto-overlooked sources, its authors give new understanding to the masses of newly literate readers who picked up books in the Victorian period. They find readers in prisons, in the barracks, and around the world, and they remind us of the power of those forgotten readers to find forbidden texts, shape new markets, and drive the production of new reading material across a century. Inspired and informed by Altick's seminal work, A Return to the Common Reader is a cutting-edge collection which dramatically reconfigures our understanding of the ordinary Victorian readers whose efforts and choices changed our literary culture forever.

20th Century Britain

20th Century Britain

Author: Francesca Carneval

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-06-11

Total Pages: 403

ISBN-13: 1317868374

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Written by leading international scholars, Twentieth Century Britain investigates key moments, themes and identities in the past century. Engaging with cutting-edge research and debate, the essays in the volume combine discussion of the major issues currently preoccupying historians of the twentieth century with clear guidance on new directions in the theories and methodologies of modern British social, cultural and economic history. Divided into three, the first section of the book addresses key concepts historians use to think about the century, notably, class, gender and national identity. Organised chronologically, the book then explores topical thematic issues, such as multicultural Britain, religion and citizenship. Representing changes in the field, some chapters represent more recent fields of historical inquiry, such as modernity and sexuality.


Book Synopsis 20th Century Britain by : Francesca Carneval

Download or read book 20th Century Britain written by Francesca Carneval and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-06-11 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by leading international scholars, Twentieth Century Britain investigates key moments, themes and identities in the past century. Engaging with cutting-edge research and debate, the essays in the volume combine discussion of the major issues currently preoccupying historians of the twentieth century with clear guidance on new directions in the theories and methodologies of modern British social, cultural and economic history. Divided into three, the first section of the book addresses key concepts historians use to think about the century, notably, class, gender and national identity. Organised chronologically, the book then explores topical thematic issues, such as multicultural Britain, religion and citizenship. Representing changes in the field, some chapters represent more recent fields of historical inquiry, such as modernity and sexuality.

Racism, Class and the Racialized Outsider

Racism, Class and the Racialized Outsider

Author: Satnam Virdee

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2014-06-24

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 1350314501

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"Racism, Class and the Racialized Outsider is that rare thing nowadays, an academic book that not only engages with a wider public but also provides a sharp campaigning edge to the analysis. Historical and broad in its coverage, this is one of the best accounts of contemporary racism published in a good long time." Mark Perryman, Philosophy Football Racism, Class and the Racialized Outsider offers an original perspective on the significance of both racism and anti-racism in the making of the English working class. While racism became a powerful structuring force within this social class from as early as the mid-Victorian period, this book also traces the episodic emergence of currents of working class anti-racism. Through an insistence that race is central to the way class works, this insightful text demonstrates not only that the English working class was a multi-ethnic formation from the moment of its inception but that racialized outsiders – Irish Catholics, Jews, Asians and the African diaspora – often played a catalytic role in the collective action that helped fashion a more inclusive and democratic society.


Book Synopsis Racism, Class and the Racialized Outsider by : Satnam Virdee

Download or read book Racism, Class and the Racialized Outsider written by Satnam Virdee and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-06-24 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Racism, Class and the Racialized Outsider is that rare thing nowadays, an academic book that not only engages with a wider public but also provides a sharp campaigning edge to the analysis. Historical and broad in its coverage, this is one of the best accounts of contemporary racism published in a good long time." Mark Perryman, Philosophy Football Racism, Class and the Racialized Outsider offers an original perspective on the significance of both racism and anti-racism in the making of the English working class. While racism became a powerful structuring force within this social class from as early as the mid-Victorian period, this book also traces the episodic emergence of currents of working class anti-racism. Through an insistence that race is central to the way class works, this insightful text demonstrates not only that the English working class was a multi-ethnic formation from the moment of its inception but that racialized outsiders – Irish Catholics, Jews, Asians and the African diaspora – often played a catalytic role in the collective action that helped fashion a more inclusive and democratic society.

Liberalism, Imperialism, and the Historical Imagination

Liberalism, Imperialism, and the Historical Imagination

Author: Theodore Koditschek

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2011-02-10

Total Pages: 367

ISBN-13: 1139494880

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This book examines the ways in which imperial agendas informed the writing of history in nineteenth-century Britain and how historical writing transformed imperial agendas. Using the published writings and personal papers of Walter Scott, J. A. Froude, James Mill, Rammohun Roy, T. B. Macaulay, E. A. Freeman, W. E. Gladstone, and J. R. Seeley among others, Theodore Koditschek sheds light on the role of the historical imagination in the establishment and legitimation of liberal imperialism. He shows how both imperialists and the imperialized were drawn to reflect back on the Empire's past as a result of the need to construct a modern, multi-national British imperial identity for a more economically expansive and enlightened present. By tracing the imperial lives and historical works of these pivotal figures, Theodore Koditschek illuminates the ways in which discourse altered practice, and vice versa, as well as how the history of Empire was continuously written and re-written.


Book Synopsis Liberalism, Imperialism, and the Historical Imagination by : Theodore Koditschek

Download or read book Liberalism, Imperialism, and the Historical Imagination written by Theodore Koditschek and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-02-10 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the ways in which imperial agendas informed the writing of history in nineteenth-century Britain and how historical writing transformed imperial agendas. Using the published writings and personal papers of Walter Scott, J. A. Froude, James Mill, Rammohun Roy, T. B. Macaulay, E. A. Freeman, W. E. Gladstone, and J. R. Seeley among others, Theodore Koditschek sheds light on the role of the historical imagination in the establishment and legitimation of liberal imperialism. He shows how both imperialists and the imperialized were drawn to reflect back on the Empire's past as a result of the need to construct a modern, multi-national British imperial identity for a more economically expansive and enlightened present. By tracing the imperial lives and historical works of these pivotal figures, Theodore Koditschek illuminates the ways in which discourse altered practice, and vice versa, as well as how the history of Empire was continuously written and re-written.

Comedy and Distinction

Comedy and Distinction

Author: Sam Friedman

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-04-24

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1135009015

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This book was shortlisted for the 2015 BSA Philip Abrams Memorial Prize. Comedy is currently enjoying unprecedented growth within the British culture industries. Defying the recent economic downturn, it has exploded into a booming billion-pound industry both on TV and on the live circuit. Despite this, academia has either ignored comedy or focused solely on analysing comedians or comic texts. This scholarship tends to assume that through analysing an artist’s intentions or techniques, we can somehow understand what is and what isn’t funny. But this poses a fundamental question – funny to whom? How can we definitively discern how audiences react to comedy? Comedy and Distinction shifts the focus to provide the first ever empirical examination of British comedy taste. Drawing on a large-scale survey and in-depth interviews carried out at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the book explores what types of comedy people like (and dislike), what their preferences reveal about their sense of humour, how comedy taste lubricates everyday interaction, and how issues of social class, gender, ethnicity and geographical location interact with patterns of comic taste. Friedman asks: Are some types of comedy valued higher than others in British society? Does more ‘legitimate’ comedy taste act as a tangible resource in social life – a form of cultural capital? What role does humour play in policing class boundaries in contemporary Britain? This book will be of interest to students and scholars of sociology, social class, social theory, cultural studies and comedy studies.


Book Synopsis Comedy and Distinction by : Sam Friedman

Download or read book Comedy and Distinction written by Sam Friedman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-04-24 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book was shortlisted for the 2015 BSA Philip Abrams Memorial Prize. Comedy is currently enjoying unprecedented growth within the British culture industries. Defying the recent economic downturn, it has exploded into a booming billion-pound industry both on TV and on the live circuit. Despite this, academia has either ignored comedy or focused solely on analysing comedians or comic texts. This scholarship tends to assume that through analysing an artist’s intentions or techniques, we can somehow understand what is and what isn’t funny. But this poses a fundamental question – funny to whom? How can we definitively discern how audiences react to comedy? Comedy and Distinction shifts the focus to provide the first ever empirical examination of British comedy taste. Drawing on a large-scale survey and in-depth interviews carried out at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the book explores what types of comedy people like (and dislike), what their preferences reveal about their sense of humour, how comedy taste lubricates everyday interaction, and how issues of social class, gender, ethnicity and geographical location interact with patterns of comic taste. Friedman asks: Are some types of comedy valued higher than others in British society? Does more ‘legitimate’ comedy taste act as a tangible resource in social life – a form of cultural capital? What role does humour play in policing class boundaries in contemporary Britain? This book will be of interest to students and scholars of sociology, social class, social theory, cultural studies and comedy studies.

Media and Class

Media and Class

Author: June Deery

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-10-16

Total Pages: 414

ISBN-13: 1315387964

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Although the idea of class is again becoming politically and culturally charged, the relationship between media and class remains understudied. This diverse collection draws together prominent and emerging media scholars to offer readers a much-needed orientation within the wider categories of media, class, and politics in Britain, America, and beyond. Case studies address media representations and media participation in a variety of platforms, with attention to contemporary culture: from celetoids to selfies, Downton Abbey to Duck Dynasty, and royals to reality TV. These scholarly but accessible accounts draw on both theory and empirical research to demonstrate how different media navigate and negotiate, caricature and essentialize, or contain and regulate class.


Book Synopsis Media and Class by : June Deery

Download or read book Media and Class written by June Deery and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-10-16 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the idea of class is again becoming politically and culturally charged, the relationship between media and class remains understudied. This diverse collection draws together prominent and emerging media scholars to offer readers a much-needed orientation within the wider categories of media, class, and politics in Britain, America, and beyond. Case studies address media representations and media participation in a variety of platforms, with attention to contemporary culture: from celetoids to selfies, Downton Abbey to Duck Dynasty, and royals to reality TV. These scholarly but accessible accounts draw on both theory and empirical research to demonstrate how different media navigate and negotiate, caricature and essentialize, or contain and regulate class.