Gambling in the nineteenth-century English novel: "a leprosy is o'er the land"

Abstract

This book explores the theme of gambling in a wide range of nineteenth-century English novels. It examines the representation of gambling in the novels themselves and the role that gambling played in the lives of the individual novelists. It also considers the significance of gambling in the novels within the wider context of the development of Victorian society. Following an historical overview, the book comprises individual chapters on: Benjamin Disraeli, Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, Anthony Trollope and George Moore. Gambling in the Nineteenth-Century English Novel not only provides fresh readings of established texts within a distinctive social and cultural context, but is also a comprehensive barometer of the social history of the time as attitudes towards leisure changed. It is essential reading for all those interested in the development of English society and culture in the Victorian era. Gambling occurred in all strata of society and was a national pastime. The pursuit of gambling took many forms: from after-dinner cards to pugilism, and indeed Stock Exchange transactions were considered by many to be gambling at its worst.