Paths to and from poverty in late 19th century novels
View/ Open
Author
Howden-Chapman, Philippa
Kawachi, Ichiro
Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2005.038794Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Howden-Chapman, P., and Ichiro Kawachi. 2006. 'Paths to and from poverty in late 19th century novels.' Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 60, 2: 102-107. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2005.038794Abstract
Late 19th century novels provide graphic descriptions of working and living conditions and their impact on population health, in particular the detrimental effects of hunger, poor housing, environmental conditions, hazardous work and poor pay, smoking and alcohol and crime, but also the transformative possibilities of social and political action. The popularity of these novels helped raise the collective conscience of citizens and illuminated the direction for 20th century welfare reforms. Yet many of these problems remain and the pathways to and from poverty are still recognisable today. Although novels are now less central in conveying social information, rereading these novels enables us to understand how social and economic circumstances were understood at the time and what led to social and political change.Citable link to this page
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:41288157
Collections
- SPH Scholarly Articles [6329]
Contact administrator regarding this item (to report mistakes or request changes)