- Paperback: 635 pages
- Publisher: Monthly Review Press (January 1955)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0853454574
- ISBN-13: 978-0853454571
- Product Dimensions: 2.2 x 1.4 x 0.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 803 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
'The first great English novel about the class war, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is spiked, witty, humorous, instructive and full of excitement, harmony and pathos.' Alan Sillitoe 'Some books seem to batter their way to immortality against all the odds, by sheer brute artistic strength, and high up in this curious and honourable company must be counted The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. Robert Tressell's unfailing humour mixes with an unfailing rage and the two together make a truly Swiftian impact.' Evening Standard Robert Tressell has complete familiarity with the idiom of his characters. His language is bizarre, vital, highly inventive and precisely heard -- it is a complete and living archaeology of the speech of a particular human group. A brilliant and very funny book.' Spectator
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
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Book Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: English fiction;
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good introduction to socialism,
By A Customer
This review is from: Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (Paperback)
This book is essentially classic socialist thought bundled into a story, all be it a story based closely on the life of the author. Half biography, half political philosophy course in socialism the Ragged trousered Philanthropists somehow works as a novel. The plot is interesting but tedious at times, the dialog is spot on and the atmosphere is brilliant. This is no doubt due to the personal experience of the author.It is very preachy, a no holds barred attack against capitalism and a shockingly biased view of socialism. But it's a brilliant way to find out about Socialsim, at times inspiring and delving deep into minds of those who wish for change. The book is very good, worth four stars maybe. I gave it three because of the text book feel it generates at times.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists,
By Ginnette Hargreaves-Lees (England, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (Paperback)
A lady I worked with, a long time ago, recommended this book to me. It is genuinely Socialistic in outlook (although Mr. Tressell was not afraid to critise what he saw as 'wrongs' in Socialism itself. This makes great sense, as no one political system is perfect as we all know.The book is based on a Company of builders in the early 20th Century 'Botich & Co.' if I remember rightly. You read the conditions of the workers which are pretty harrowing (as working class environment was, at the time). You meet the workers' families as well. You see the struggles they have to survive on the times when bad weather put the builders 'off work' The Foreman liased between the Management and the workers. I cannot remember his name now, as it is a long time since I have read the book.He is an important character. Some of the workers' try to justify their injustices as being 'what they, as working class people must expect' There was One man who joined the company, who tried to educate his fellow workers as to how wrong they were, about the inequalities of Capitalism. He was not popular for taking this stance. It sounds a heavy book, but it is extremely readeable. I recommend it to anyone interested in how people lived and worked. It does NOT force you into taking a political stance. The book is there to be enjoyed...
5.0 out of 5 stars
Utterly unknown masterpiece,
By thedevilscoachman (Vienna, Virginia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (Paperback)
A friend of mine sent me this book, which I had never heard of at the time. If you get past the awkward title, and the somewhat purple Victorian prose, it really is a wonderful book. First and foremost, it reads really well. It's well-written, the story is compelling, and the characters likeable. The overall flavor I would describe as Dickensian, although nowhere near as baroque or whimsical. So it's not some boring polemic. And, second, it's socialist in its outlook. It explains socialism and the old Labour movement not in some theoretical, jargonistic way, but by means of practical examples that the central character uses to explain the movement to his co-workers. At the same time they're learning, you're learning, too - and it's very well done. Of course, the plot of the story drives home the lessons you've learned as well. And the arguments for more social equity work - I guess they can be argued against, if you're so inclined, but they're not at all simplistic or overly idealistic - they're really rather practical. Overall, a wonderful book for just about anyone thinking about the construction of society - even capitalists who'd like to cut their teeth against challenging political arguments.
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