Edwin Waugh's 'Home-Life of the Lancashire Factory Folk during the Cotton Famine' is a poignant and insightful exploration of the effects of the cotton famine on the working-class families of Lancashire. Through vivid descriptions and a compassionate tone, Waugh sheds light on the struggles and sacrifices faced by these individuals during a time of economic hardship. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, the book offers a glimpse into the domestic lives of the factory workers, highlighting their resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity. Waugh's focus on the personal experiences of the Lancashire folk adds a human touch to the historical narrative, making this work a valuable primary source for understanding the social and economic dynamics of the period. Edwin Waugh, a renowned Lancashire poet and writer, drew from his own background and observations of the working-class communities to craft this empathetic portrayal of the cotton famine's impact. His deep empathy and understanding of the human condition shine through in his writing, creating a compelling and emotionally charged account of a lesser-known aspect of Victorian history. I highly recommend 'Home-Life of the Lancashire Factory Folk during the Cotton Famine' to readers interested in social history, labor studies, and Victorian literature, as it offers a unique perspective on a significant historical event and the enduring spirit of the working class.

First published in 1974, The Industrial Muse is a study of the literary achievements of the working class. The focus is upon the cultural environment and assumptions of self-educated writers, their literary preoccupations and careers, and the content, form and structure of their writings. This literature must first be considered from the perspective of the working people who read and wrote it, for it functioned in their lives in a number of important ways. Its character was due in large part to the conscious efforts of educated workers who wish to gain cultural recognition along with social and economic justice. It helped to shape individual and class consciousness by giving order to working men's lives and clarifying their relationship with those who held cultural and political power. This literature asserted the autonomy of the working class, but did not posit a new worldview, lest the gains of class solidarity be lost irretrievably. This is an interesting read for scholars and researchers of working-class literature, english literature and working-class history.

Victorian Literature is a comprehensive and fully annotated anthology with a flexible design that allows teachers and students to pursue traditional or innovative lines of inquiry—from the canon to its extensions and its contexts. Represents the period's major writers of prose, poetry, drama, and more, including Tennyson, Arnold, the Brownings, Carlyle, Ruskin, the Rossettis, Wilde, Eliot, and the Brontës Promotes an ideologically and culturally varied view of Victorian society with the inclusion of women, working-class, colonial, and gay and lesbian writers Incorporates recent scholarship with 5 contextual sections and innovative sub-sections on topics like environmentalism and animal rights; mass literacy and mass media; sex and sexuality; melodrama and comedy; the Irish question; ruling India and the Indian Mutiny and innovations in print culture Emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the field with a focus on social, cultural, artistic, and historical factors Includes a fully annotated companion website for teachers and students offering expanded context sections, additional readings from key writers, appendices, and an extensive bibliography

The process of urbanisation and suburbanisation in Britain from the Victorian period to the twentieth century.

In tobacco fields, auto and radio factories, cigarmakers' tenements, textile mills, print shops, insurance companies, restaurants, and bars, notions of masculinity and femininity have helped shape the development of work and the working class. The fourteen original essays brought together here shed new light on the importance of gender for economic and class analysis and for the study of men as well as women workers. After an introduction by Ava Baron addressing current problems in conceptualizing gender and work, chapters by leading historians consider how gender has colored relations of power and hierarchy—between employers and workers, men and boys, whites and blacks, native-born Americans and immigrants, as well as between men and women—in North America from the 1830s to the 1970s. Individual essays explore a spectrum of topics including union bureaucratization, protective legislation, and consumer organizing. They examine how workers' concerns about gender identity influenced their job choices, the ways in which they thought about and performed their work, and the strategies they adopted toward employers and other workers. Taken together, the essays illuminate the plasticity of gender as men and women contest its meaning and its implications for class relations. Anyone interested in labor history, women's history, and the sociology of work or gender will want to read this pathbreaking book.