... in nineteenth century British literature. Elizabeth Gaskell, a prominent novelist from that era wrote about these conditions and was a master at drawing the reader's attention to the social injustices of her time. The increased level of literacy in Victorian England contributed to a mass-market for book publishing and its mass audience was mainly made up of middle-class readers (O'Gorman 1). Their attitude ... ; (Nünning 66) and thus, to abandon the "prevailing laissez-faire attitude of the ruling classes" (Pike 6). Hence, the readership was to be informed and aroused at the same time (...

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• Approx Pages: 12
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