Incognito Social Investigation in British Literature

Certainties in Degradation

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British, Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book Incognito Social Investigation in British Literature by Luke Seaber, Springer International Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Luke Seaber ISBN: 9783319509624
Publisher: Springer International Publishing Publication: May 8, 2017
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan Language: English
Author: Luke Seaber
ISBN: 9783319509624
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Publication: May 8, 2017
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan
Language: English

This book is the first full critical history of incognito social investigation texts – in other words, works detailing their authors’ experiences whilst pretending to be poor.  The most famous example is Down and Out in Paris and London, but there has been a vast array of other works in the genre since it was created in 1866 by James Greenwood’s ‘A Night in a Workhouse’.

It draws up a classification of incognito social investigation texts, dividing them into four subtypes. The first comprises those texts following most narrowly in James Greenwood’s footsteps, taking the extreme poor as their object of study. The next is the investigation of poverty through walking, for pedestrianism and poverty are fascinatingly linked.  The third is that of people looking at relative poverty rather than absolute, where authors take on badly-paid work in order to report on it, which is when incognito social investigation becomes very much something carried out by women.  We end looking at those incognito social investigators who settled in the areas they explored. 

Not only will this book recover the history of a genre that has long been ignored, however, but it will also offer significant close reading of many of the texts that it places within the tradition(s) it discovers.  

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book is the first full critical history of incognito social investigation texts – in other words, works detailing their authors’ experiences whilst pretending to be poor.  The most famous example is Down and Out in Paris and London, but there has been a vast array of other works in the genre since it was created in 1866 by James Greenwood’s ‘A Night in a Workhouse’.

It draws up a classification of incognito social investigation texts, dividing them into four subtypes. The first comprises those texts following most narrowly in James Greenwood’s footsteps, taking the extreme poor as their object of study. The next is the investigation of poverty through walking, for pedestrianism and poverty are fascinatingly linked.  The third is that of people looking at relative poverty rather than absolute, where authors take on badly-paid work in order to report on it, which is when incognito social investigation becomes very much something carried out by women.  We end looking at those incognito social investigators who settled in the areas they explored. 

Not only will this book recover the history of a genre that has long been ignored, however, but it will also offer significant close reading of many of the texts that it places within the tradition(s) it discovers.  

More books from Springer International Publishing

Cover of the book Cloud Computing and Services Science by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book Sexual Crime, Religion and Masculinity in fin-de-siècle France by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book Interconnected Networks by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book The Language of Protest by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book Handbook of Social Behavior and Skills in Children by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book Handbook of Contemporary Sociological Theory by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book Clinician’s Guide to Breastfeeding by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book Critical Information Infrastructures Security by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book From Galileo to Modern Economics by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book Agricultural Biomass Based Potential Materials by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book Religion and Identity in the Post-9/11 Vampire by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book Understanding Novelty in Organizations by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book Urbanization: Challenge and Opportunity for Soil Functions and Ecosystem Services by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book Small Machine Tools for Small Workpieces by Luke Seaber
Cover of the book Boosted Statistical Relational Learners by Luke Seaber
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy