Originally published in 1914, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is a timeless story of socialism, political awakenings and class struggle, told with a volatile mix of heartfelt rage and sly humour.The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists tells the story of a group of working men who are joined one day by Owen, a journeyman-prophet with a vision of a just society. Owen’s spirited attacks on the greed and dishonesty of the capitalist system rouse his fellow men from their political qu...

The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists is a novel by Robert Tressell first published in 1914 after his death in 1911. An explicitly political work, it is widely regarded as a classic of working-class literature.

About this Wordsworth Classic: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is a classic representation of the impoverished and politically powerless underclass of British society in Edwardian England, ruthlessly exploited by the institutionalized corruption of their employers and the civic and religious authorities.Epic in scale, the novel charts the ruinous effects of the laissez-faire mercantilist ethics on the men, women, and children of the working classes, a...

The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists is a novel by Robert Tressell first published in 1914 after his death in 1911. An explicitly political work, it is widely regarded as a classic of working-class literature. Clearly frustrated at the refusal of his contemporaries to recognise the inequity and iniquity of society, Tressell's cast of hypocritical Christians, exploitative capitalists and corrupt councillors provide a backdrop for his main target — the workers who think that a better life is...

*** Original and Unabridged Content. Made available by CLASSIC COLLECTION 600.***Synopsis:Clearly frustrated at the refusal of his contemporaries to recognise the iniquity of society, Tressell’s cast of hypocritical Christians, exploitative capitalists and corrupt councillors provide a backdrop for his main target — the workers who think that a better life is “not for the likes of them”. Hence the title of the book; Tressell paints the workers as “philanthropists” who throw...

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists By Robert Tressell is a classic political fiction text that is a revealing work of surprising relevance to the present day despite its antiquity.

Set in the fictional town of Mugsborough (loosely based on the real town of Hastings in England), the novel follows the lives of a group of working-class men, including the protagonist Frank Owen, as they struggle with low wages, poor working conditions, and economic inequality. Owen, who is a socialist and a skilled house painter, seeks to educate and enlighten his fellow workers about the injustices they face and the ways in which they are being exploited by their employers and the capit...

Passionate, highly entertaining and gloriously funny - Robert Tressell's classic pre-First World War account of the working lives of a group of housepainters and decorators is vividly adapted by Howard Brenton.The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists recounts the little daily successes and the disasters of a group of working-class men, living under the constant fear of being laid off by employers forever looking for new corners to cut. Both workers and bosses are caught in a s...

In writing this book my intention was to present, in the form of an interesting story, a faithful picture of working-class life— more especially of those engaged in the Building trades— in a small town in the south of England.

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, first published in 1914,is a highly celebrated and surprisingly modern novel that since first publication has won many followers. Rooted in socialist ideals, it was voted amongst the nation's top 100 books in the BBC Big Read. It tells the story of a group of decorators who cope reasonably with their impoverished life until one of them, Frank Owen, hands out regular attacks on the greed and dishonesty of the capitalists who themselves "do noth...

Originally published in 1914, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is a timeless story of socialism, political awakenings and class struggle, told with a volatile mix of heartfelt rage and sly humour.The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists tells the story of a group of working men who are joined one day by Owen, a journeyman-prophet with a vision of a just society. Owen--™s spirited attacks on the greed and dishonesty of the capitalist system rouse his fellow men from their political ...

The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists is a book by Robert Tressell first published in 1914 after his death in 1911. An explicitly political work, it is widely regarded as a classic of working-class literature. It placed seventy second in the 2003 The Big Read survey conducted by the BBC.The novel is set in the fictional town of Mugsborough, based on the southern English coastal town of Hastings, where Noonan lived, although its geographical location is described in the book and is we...