The Industrial Novels

This book provides a clear historical and theoretical framework for reading three important novels published in Britain in the second half of the nineteenth century. Examining the novels by Charlotte Brontë, Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell, the book offers an analysis of their strategies for radical reforms and for the restructuring of society and politics through improvements in the living and working conditions of the working class.

The Industrial Novels begins with an introduction of the Industrial Revolution, which is then followed by chapters devoted to a detailed discussion of each novel. Through this, the book explores the negative social, political and economic effects of industrialization and urbanization, as reflected in Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley (1849), Charles Dickens’ Hard Times (1854), and Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South (1855). As such, the book will be of interest to academics and students in the fields of both literature and sociology.