The Tramp in British Literature, 1850—1950

Download or read book The Tramp in British Literature, 1850—1950 written by Luke Lewin Davies and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-01-01 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shortlisted for the Literary Encyclopedia Book Prize 2022, The Tramp in British Literature, 1850-1950 offers a unique account of the emergence of a new conception of homelessness in the mid-nineteenth century. After arguing that the emergence of the figure of the tramp reflects the evolution of capitalism and disciplinary society in this period, The Tramp in British Literature uncovers a neglected body of "tramp literature" written by memoir and fiction writers, many of whom were themselves homeless. In analysing these works, it presents select texts as a unique and ignored contribution to a wider radical discourse defined by its opposition to a wider societal preoccupation with the need to be productive.