Vice, Crime, and Poverty

This book blends history and literature to explore Western representations of Vice, Crime and Poverty, showing how criminals and the poor were affected by industrialisation. A vast number of the references are to either the United Kingdom or to France, focusing on the work of Dickens and Hugo in particular. I thought that it was well researched and for a scholarly work, very readable to the point that I would have enjoyed reading more. Of particular interest was the origin of the fascinating argot of the underworld, and this book is full of some great characters. Good analysis of the characters in literature, but mainly focused on 19th century