The factory question and industrial England, 1830-1860 / Robert Gray.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gray, Robert Q.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Factory system--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Factory system.

Industrialization--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Industrialization.

History.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

xiv, 253 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Summary:

The factory question and industrial England, 1830-1860 addresses the continuing controversy over industrialisation. It investigates different perceptions of the 'factory system' either as a threat or as a promise, and the contested meanings of waged work in industry. Making use of a great variety of sources, such as sermons, medical treatises, fictional and visual representations, Robert Gray places the languages of debate in their cultural contexts, paying particular attention to the shifting constructions of class and gender in the rhetoric of reform, and the ambiguities and tensions inherent in 'protective' legislation. He then relates patterns of conflict over factory legislation to the features of specific industrial towns. The combination of regional, cultural and textual analysis makes this book a coherent and original contribution to the study of industrial Britain in the nineteenth century.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0521496594

OCLC:

32968521