Incognito Social Investigation in British Literature

Luke Seaber taught at various Italian universities before coming to University College London, where he now teaches, as a Marie Curie research fellow in 2012.

“Incognito Social Investigation in British Literature illuminates Victorian periodical writing and its broader impact in provocative, unforgettable ways.” (Rebecca Nesvet, Victorian Periodicals Review, Vol. 51 (2), 2018)“This is a fascinating study that explores the genre of writings produced by ‘incognito social investigators’ from the 1860s to more recent times. … there is much of considerable interest in this volume. It deserves to be read, and for those with an interest in Orwell they will find his impact and legacy cropping up through the book.” (Nick Crowson, George Orwell Studies, Vol. 2 (1), 2017)“Seaber’s study is a scholarly and accessible overview of a fascinating and oddly overlooked genre. As such, it offers a rare insight into to the cultural and literary context that helped shape one of Orwell’s most highly regarded works, in the process significantly expanding the scope of Orwell studies.” (Luke Davies, The Orwell Society, Issue 11, 2017)

• Chapter One. Certainties in Degradation: An Introduction to Incognito Social Investigation.- Chapter Two. Learning by Actual Experience: James Greenwood and the Birth of a Genre.- Chapter Three. Down and Out: George Orwell and the Death of a Genre.- Chapter Four. Tramping Ambiguities: On the Road with Harry A. Franck, Hilaire Belloc and James Greenwood.- Chapter Five. The Daily Grind: T. Sparrow, Olive Christian Malvery and the World of Work.- Chapter Six. If Men Do These Kind of Journalistic Feats…: Elizabeth L. Banks and Woman’s Work.- Chapter Seven. The Astonishing Thing Is That They Listen to Us: Modern Work from Celia Fremlin to Polly Toynbee.- Chapter Eight. Settling Down: From Jack London’s London Holiday to Stephen Reynolds’s Sea-Change.- Bibliography.