Infamous Commerce

Prostitution in Eighteenth-Century British Literature and Culture

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British, Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book Infamous Commerce by Laura J. Rosenthal, Cornell University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Laura J. Rosenthal ISBN: 9780801454349
Publisher: Cornell University Press Publication: March 19, 2015
Imprint: Cornell University Press Language: English
Author: Laura J. Rosenthal
ISBN: 9780801454349
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publication: March 19, 2015
Imprint: Cornell University Press
Language: English

In Infamous Commerce, Laura J. Rosenthal uses literature to explore the meaning of prostitution from the Restoration through the eighteenth century, showing how both reformers and libertines constructed the modern meaning of sex work during this period. From Grub Street's lurid "whore biographies" to the period's most acclaimed novels, the prostitute was depicted as facing a choice between abject poverty and some form of sex work. Prostitution, in Rosenthal's view, confronted the core controversies of eighteenth-century capitalism: luxury, desire, global trade, commodification, social mobility, gender identity, imperialism, self-ownership, alienation, and even the nature of work itself.

In the context of extensive research into printed accounts of both male and female prostitution—among them sermons, popular prostitute biographies, satire, pornography, brothel guides, reformist writing, and travel narratives—Rosenthal offers in-depth readings of Samuel Richardson's Clarissa and Pamela and the responses to the latter novel (including Eliza Haywood's Anti-Pamela), Bernard Mandeville's defenses of prostitution, Daniel Defoe's Roxana, Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, and travel journals about the voyages of Captain Cook to the South Seas. Throughout, Rosenthal considers representations of the prostitute's own sexuality (desire, revulsion, etc.) to be key parts of the changing meaning of "the oldest profession."

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

In Infamous Commerce, Laura J. Rosenthal uses literature to explore the meaning of prostitution from the Restoration through the eighteenth century, showing how both reformers and libertines constructed the modern meaning of sex work during this period. From Grub Street's lurid "whore biographies" to the period's most acclaimed novels, the prostitute was depicted as facing a choice between abject poverty and some form of sex work. Prostitution, in Rosenthal's view, confronted the core controversies of eighteenth-century capitalism: luxury, desire, global trade, commodification, social mobility, gender identity, imperialism, self-ownership, alienation, and even the nature of work itself.

In the context of extensive research into printed accounts of both male and female prostitution—among them sermons, popular prostitute biographies, satire, pornography, brothel guides, reformist writing, and travel narratives—Rosenthal offers in-depth readings of Samuel Richardson's Clarissa and Pamela and the responses to the latter novel (including Eliza Haywood's Anti-Pamela), Bernard Mandeville's defenses of prostitution, Daniel Defoe's Roxana, Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, and travel journals about the voyages of Captain Cook to the South Seas. Throughout, Rosenthal considers representations of the prostitute's own sexuality (desire, revulsion, etc.) to be key parts of the changing meaning of "the oldest profession."

More books from Cornell University Press

Cover of the book Popular Democracy in Japan by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book Achieving Access by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book Subsidizing Democracy by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book Cornell '77 by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book To Follow in Their Footsteps by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book New York City, 1664–1710 by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book Vico and Naples by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book Victory's Shadow by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book Asian Designs by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book The End of the West? by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book Recapturing the Oval Office by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book Phantom Formations by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book Hell and Its Rivals by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book Shakespeare's Foreign Worlds by Laura J. Rosenthal
Cover of the book Murder Most Russian by Laura J. Rosenthal
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