eBook - ePub
The Rise of Office Literature
Bureaucratization and Aesthetics in Britain and France, 1810-1900
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
The Rise of Office Literature
Bureaucratization and Aesthetics in Britain and France, 1810-1900
About this book
Explores the social and cultural history of bureaucratization in 19th-century Britain and France via the evolving literary portrayal of office life.
Literary critics have long cited the clerk in 19th-century literature as an emblem of a nascent lower middle class, or of shifting gender roles in the world of work. Moreover, there is growing critical interest in the influence of rapidly evolving organizational systems and data networks on this period's culture. By refocusing on the point at which these interests meet – the office – The Rise of Office Literature plays a synthesizing role, identifying this workplace as a point of convergence between the abstract and the quotidian, between structures and workers.
By exploring the history of 'office literature' – a 'forgotten' nineteenth-century literary genre whose exemplars focus primarily on office life – Daniel Jenkin-Smith argues that the portrayal of new labour practices, intellectual forms and bureaucratic technologies in English and French literature served to problematize existing narrative conventions, while also enabling new developments in literary aesthetics. Office literature's unique position – between the ongoing process of nineteenth-century bureaucratization and the rapidly evolving realist and satirical traditions of this period's literature – means that it offers an especially insightful perspective onto the interrelation of aesthetic, intellectual, economic and social history.
Literary critics have long cited the clerk in 19th-century literature as an emblem of a nascent lower middle class, or of shifting gender roles in the world of work. Moreover, there is growing critical interest in the influence of rapidly evolving organizational systems and data networks on this period's culture. By refocusing on the point at which these interests meet – the office – The Rise of Office Literature plays a synthesizing role, identifying this workplace as a point of convergence between the abstract and the quotidian, between structures and workers.
By exploring the history of 'office literature' – a 'forgotten' nineteenth-century literary genre whose exemplars focus primarily on office life – Daniel Jenkin-Smith argues that the portrayal of new labour practices, intellectual forms and bureaucratic technologies in English and French literature served to problematize existing narrative conventions, while also enabling new developments in literary aesthetics. Office literature's unique position – between the ongoing process of nineteenth-century bureaucratization and the rapidly evolving realist and satirical traditions of this period's literature – means that it offers an especially insightful perspective onto the interrelation of aesthetic, intellectual, economic and social history.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access The Rise of Office Literature by Daniel Jenkin-Smith in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & English Literary Criticism. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Halftitle Page
- Dedication Page
- Title Page
- Contents
- List of figures
- Acknowledgements
- Note on translations
- Introduction: Bureaucratization and office literature
- Part 1 Origins: 1810–50
- Part 2 Convergences: 1830–70
- Part 3 Metamorphoses: 1860–1900
- Epilogue: Word and deed
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
- Imprint