The Professional Ideal in the Victorian Novel : The Works of Disraeli, Trollope, Gaskell, and Eliot

This book makes the claim that Victorian novels do not simply reflect professional ideology; they also scrutinize its dilemmas, contradictions, and limitations. In this volume, innovative readings of canonical texts like Sybil, Barchester Towers, Romola, and Daniel Deronda accompany groundbreaking work on less familiar texts like Tancred and My Lady Ludlow to illuminate the Victorians' own struggles with the emerging professional ideology. The Victorians' engagement with fundamental ideas of professional identity--such as autonomy, meritocracy, and the service ethic--reveal professionalism's dual basis in materialist and idealist rationalities. This Book Makes The Claim That Victorian Novels Do Not Simply Reflect Professional Ideology; They Also Scrutinize Its Dilemmas, Contradictions, And Limitations. In This Volume, Innovative Readings Of Canonical Texts Like Sybil, Barchester Towers, Romola, And Daniel Deronda Accompany Work On Less Familiar Texts Like Tancred And My Lady Ludlow To Illuminate The Victorians' Own Engagement With Fundamental Ideas Of Professional Identity - Such As Autonomy, Meritocracy, And The Service Ethic - Reveal Professionalism's Dual Basis In Materialist And Idealist Rationalities.--book Jacket. Brains More Precious Than Blood, Or The Professional Logic Of The Young England Trilogy -- Manly Independence: Autonomy In The Warden And Barchester Towers -- Professional Frontiers In Elizabeth Gaskell's My Lady Ludlow -- Évero Or é Falso? The Pastor As A Mentor In Romola -- One Function In Particular: Specialization And The Service Ethic In Janet's Repentance And Daniel Deronda -- A Kind Of Manager Not Hitherto Existing: Octavia Hill And The Professional Philanthropist. Susan E. Colón. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [211]-255) And Index. This book makes the claim that Victorian novels do not simply reflect professional ideology; they also scrutinize its dilemmas, contradictions, and limitations. In this volume, innovative readings of canonical texts like Sybil, Barchester Towers, Romola, and Daniel Deronda accompany groundbreaking work on less familiar texts like Tancred and My Lady Ludlow to illuminate the Victorians' own struggles with the emerging professional ideology. The Victorians' engagement with fundamental ideas of professional identity such as autonomy, meritocracy, and the service ethic reveal professionalism's dual basis in materialist and idealist rationalities. This book examines diverse Victorian perspectives on professional issues to illuminate the dialectic between materialist and idealist rationalities which informs historical professionalism