CHILD MURDER AND BRITISH CULTURE 1720-1900

Hardback. The author explores the pervasive motif of child murder in British society across two centuries. Analysing texts from literature, economics, philosophy, law, and medicine, she reveals how child murder served as a powerful trope in cultural, social, and political debates. She traces its evolution from Jonathan Swift’s satirical 'A Modest Proposal' to late 19th-century discussions of the New Woman, engaging works by Burke, Wordsworth, Wollstonecraft, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy. The book examines how child murder reflected anxieties about commercialism, colonialism, gender roles, poverty, and population control, with key historical moments like the 1624 Infanticide Act and the New Poor Law shaping its discourse. The author highlights the trope’s role in exposing societal tensions, from moral decay to colonial exploitation, offering a nuanced study of cultural transmission. This comprehensive work is essential for understanding the intersection of literature and social history. Illus., Appendix, Notes, Select Bibliog. and Index. 278pp. 8vo. h/back. With previous owner's neat name insc. to ffep, v. light foxing to part of top edge o/w Nr. F. in Vg. dw. lacking the lower part of the dw 'blurb' which has been cut away.