Robert Tressell

Julie Cairnie (University of Guelph)
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Most writers deserving of a substantial profile in

The Literary Encyclopedia

have a significant oeuvre. Robert Tressell wrote only one novel,

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists

(1914; 1918; 1955), and it was published and celebrated posthumously. His bereaved daughter, Kathleen, sold it to the publisher, Grant Richards, for a “mess of pottage”: £25. This was a meagre sum given the book’s phenomenal success: the 1955 edition has never been out of print. Aptly, the book points out the irony of the Poor’s generosity: “ragged trousered philanthropists” give away their labour and its products for a “mess of pottage”. The text’s solution is to “fill the House of Commons with Revolutionary Socialists” (520). Although he did not live long enough even to enjoy his book’s…

3243 words

Citation: Cairnie, Julie. "Robert Tressell". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 August 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4449, accessed 19 March 2024.]

4449 Robert Tressell 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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