Secret Commissions

Matthew Rubery, Matthew Rubery

ISBN 10: 1551113309 / ISBN 13: 9781551113302

Published by Broadview Press Ltd, US, 2012

About this Item

Lurid, controversial, and vulnerable to accusations of titillation or rabble-rousing, the works of Victorian investigative journalism collected here nonetheless brought unseen suffering into the light of day. Even today their exposure has the power to shock. As one investigator promised, "The Report of our Secret Commission will be read to-day with a shuddering horror that will thrill throughout the world."Secret Commissions brings together nineteen key documents of Victorian investigative journalism. Their authors range from well-known writers such as Charles Dickens, Henry Mayhew, and W.T. Stead to now-forgotten names such as Hugh Shimmin, Elizabeth Banks, and Olive Malvery. Collectively, they show how unsparing descriptions of social injustice became regular features of English journalism long before the advent of American-style "muckraking." The reports address topics as varied as child abuse, animal cruelty, juvenile prostitution, sweat-shops, slums, gypsies, abortion, infanticide, and other controversial social issues. The collection features detailed chapter introductions, original illustrations, a historical overview of investigative reporting in the nineteenth-century press, and suggestions for further reading.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781551113302

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Secret Commissions
• Publisher: Broadview Press Ltd, US
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1551113309
• ISBN 13: 9781551113302
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Dimensions: 15.24W x 1.55H x 22.86D centimeters 15.24 centimeters width by 1.55 centimeters height by 22.86 centimeters depth

About this title

Synopsis

Lurid, controversial, and vulnerable to accusations of titillation or rabble-rousing, the works of Victorian investigative journalism collected here nonetheless brought unseen suffering into the light of day. Even today their exposure has the power to shock. As one investigator promised, “The Report of our Secret Commission will be read to-day with a shuddering horror that will thrill throughout the world.”

Secret Commissions brings together nineteen key documents of Victorian investigative journalism. Their authors range from well-known writers such as Charles Dickens, Henry Mayhew, and W.T. Stead to now-forgotten names such as Hugh Shimmin, Elizabeth Banks, and Olive Malvery. Collectively, they show how unsparing descriptions of social injustice became regular features of English journalism long before the advent of American-style “muckraking.” The reports address topics as varied as child abuse, animal cruelty, juvenile prostitution, sweat-shops, slums, gypsies, abortion, infanticide, and other controversial social issues. The collection features detailed chapter introductions, original illustrations, a historical overview of investigative reporting in the nineteenth-century press, and suggestions for further reading.

About the Author

Stephen Donovan is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Uppsala University, Sweden.

Matthew Rubery is Reader in English Literature at Queen Mary, University of London.