Infamous Commerce - Prostitution in Eighteenth-Century British Literature and Culture (Hardcover, Annotated edition)

In Infamous Commerce, Laura J. Rosenthal uses literary and historical sources to explore the meaning of prostitution from the Restoration through the eighteenth century, showing how both reformers and libertines constructed the modern meaning of sex work during this period. From Grub Street's lurid "whore biographies" to the period's most acclaimed novels, the prostitute was depicted as facing a choice between abject poverty and some form of sex work.Prostitution, in Rosenthal's view, confronted the core controversies of eighteenth-century capitalism: luxury, desire, global trade, commodification, social mobility, gender identity, imperialism, self-ownership, alienation, and even the nature of work itself. In the context of extensive research into printed accounts of both male and female prostitution-among them sermons, popular prostitute biographies, satire, pornography, brothel guides, reformist writing, and travel narratives-Rosenthal offers in-depth readings of Samuel Richardson's Clarissa and Pamela and the responses to the latter novel (including Eliza Haywood's Anti-Pamela), Bernard Mandeville's defenses of prostitution, Daniel Defoe's Roxana, Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, and travel journals about the voyages of Captain Cook to the South Seas. Throughout, Rosenthal considers representations of the prostitute's own sexuality (desire, revulsion, etc.) to be key parts of the changing meaning of "the oldest profession."

General

Imprint:	Cornell University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	June 2006
First published:	2015
Authors:	Laura J. Rosenthal
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 23mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	288
Edition:	Annotated edition
ISBN-13:	978-0-8014-4404-3
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Literature: history & criticism > Literary studies > General Books > Humanities > History > British & Irish history > General Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social issues > Ethical issues & debates > Prostitution Books > History > British & Irish history > General
LSN:	0-8014-4404-7
Barcode:	9780801444043

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