British Working-Class and Radical Writing Since 1700 (Paperback)

John Goodridge

ISBN 10: 1913739074 / ISBN 13: 9781913739072

Published by University of London, 2025

About this Item

Paperback. At a time when working-class writing is gaining long-overdue recognition and radical ideas may be more important than ever, this timely collection of eighteen essays examines the powerful intersection of British working-class and radical writing from the eighteenth century to the present day. Taking the pioneering work of H. Gustav Klaus on British labouring-class, socialist and anarchist writing traditions as its foundation, the volume embraces variety to reflect the richness of working-class and radical cultures across the last three centuries. Cross-cutting topics include the ways in which working-class writers got into print, the obstacles they faced in doing so and in expressing their views, the rise of women writers and their involvement in radical culture, representations of animals and more-than-human perspectives, socialism and environmentalism, feminism, anti-imperialism, and the intersection of working-class and diasporic identities. Questions of genre and form are also addressed, from dialect poetry to the novel, pastoral to melodrama, and life writing to theatre. Showcasing a wide range of innovative approaches, the volume contributes significantly to recovering the literary work and radicalism of several little-studied and forgotten working-class authors, as well as reappraising better-known figures such as John Clare and Ethel Carnie Holdsworth. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781913739072

Bibliographic Details

• Title: British Working-Class and Radical Writing Since 1700 (Paperback)
• Publisher: University of London
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1913739074
• ISBN 13: 9781913739072
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

An essential history of how literature became a battleground for class struggle and political dissent in Britain.

At a time when working-class writing is gaining long-overdue recognition, British Working-Class and Radical Writing Since 1700 explores the intersection of class and literature over more than three centuries. This volume brings together leading scholars to examine the problems faced by working-class writers and the impact of class on themes such as feminism and anti-imperialism. Spanning from early laboring-class poets to contemporary memoirists, the collection revisits figures like John Clare and Ethel Carnie Holdsworth and also recovers overlooked voices and texts.

Covering poetry, fiction, drama, and political writing, the book investigates the relationship between class and literary production, offering fresh perspectives on how working-class and radical literature has shaped British cultural history. From the Romantic-era resistance of laboring poets to mid-century miners’ novels and the evolution of contemporary working-class memoirs, these essays reveal how literature has served as both a site of struggle and a tool of empowerment.
 

About the Author

John Goodridge is emeritus professor of English at Nottingham Trent University, president of the John Clare Society, and a fellow of the English Association. He is the general editor of English Labouring Class Poets and coeditor of A Cambridge History of Working-Class Writing, and he edits and principally writes the online Catalogue of Labouring-class Poetry.