Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, The

By Tressell, Robert

Book Id: WPLBN0002953845
Format Type:
File Size: 652.50 MB
Reproduction Date: 2010

Title:	Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, The
Author:	Tressell, Robert
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Fiction, Fiction
Collections:	Audio Books Collection, Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, The
Historic Publication Date:	1914
Publisher:	LibriVox Audio Books


Citation APA MLA Chicago Tressell, B. R. (1914). Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, The. Retrieved from http://gutenberg.us/

Description
Clearly frustrated at the refusal of his contemporaries to recognise the iniquity of society, Tressell's cast of hypocritical Christians, exploitative capitalists and corrupt councillors provide a backdrop for his main target — the workers who think that a better life is not for the likes of them. Hence the title of the book; Tressell paints the workers as philanthropists who throw themselves into back-breaking work for poverty wages in order to generate profit for their masters. The hero of the book, Frank Owen, is a socialist who believes that the capitalist system is the real source of the poverty he sees all around him. In vain he tries to convince his fellow workers of his world view, but finds that their education has trained them to distrust their own thoughts and to rely on those of their betters. Much of the book consists of conversations between Owen and the others, or more often of lectures by Owen in the face of their jeering; this was presumably based on Tressell's own experiences.(Summary by Tadhg)

Summary
Electronic recorded live performance of a reading

Excerpt
Fiction