The Inward Revolution: Troubled Young Men in Victorian Fiction, 1850-1880

The Victorian novel’s depiction of the young middle-class male as he encounters the commercial ethos and the competitive marketplace serves as the starting point for The Inward Revolution. This study traces the development of the troubled young man through mid-Victorian fiction and periodicals. Set in the rich fabric of the history and social commentary of the day, the book examines characters from the novels of Charles Kingsley, Charles Dickens, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, George Eliot, Henry James, and Oscar Wilde. This examination provides a fresh reading of what the Victorians called the Woman Question. The Inward Revolution also complements contemporary feminist analysis. The book offers a new perspective on a hitherto unexplored area of Victorian studies.