This book challenges the view that historians have generally accepted of a model of masculinity wherein financial solvency was a crucial measure of success, problematising the idea of the man as successful breadwinner being a cornerstone of middle-class masculine identity. It examines neglected aspects of middle-class men's lived experience, including indebtedness, bankruptcy and the receipt of charity, and, through this, reveals that the effect of financial failure was more complex and nuanced than previously thought. For the first time this book shines a light on these middle-class men and their families who occupied a liminal position of reduced fortunes and thwarted expectations in Victorian England.

Critiques traditional ideas of middle-class membership Explores the emotional landscape of middle-class poverty Analyses a previously unexamined facet of Victorian middle-class masculinity

Autorentext

Marian Flint received her PhD from Birkbeck, University of London, UK and served as the convenor for the Voluntary Action seminar series at the Institute of Historical Research for two years.

Inhalt

Chapter 1: The Ideal Middle-Class Man.- Chapter 2: Bankruptcy.- Chapter 3: The Emotional Experience of Indebtedness.- Chapter 4: Charity and the Professions.- Chapter 5: The Emotional Experience of Receiving Charity and Patronage.- Chapter 6: Families.- Chapter 7: Conclusion.