Conceptualizing Cruelty to Children in Nineteenth-Century England

More about the book

Focusing on the works of notable authors like Locke, Rousseau, and Dickens, Monica Flegel explores the development of child cruelty narratives influenced by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. She argues that the NSPCC's emergence not only transformed children's lives but also significantly impacted class dynamics in the portrayal of suffering and abuse. The book provides a critical interpretive framework for understanding these historical and social changes.