Rebecca Richardson – författare

What the Victorian history of self-help reveals about the myth of individualism.Stories of hardworking characters who lift themselves from rags to riches abound in the Victorian era. From the popularity of such stories, it is clear that the Victorians valorized personal ambition in ways that previous generations had not. In Material Ambitions, Rebecca Richardson explores this phenomenon in light of the under-studied reception history of Samuel Smiles's 1859 publication, Self-Help: With Illustrations of Character, Conduct, and Perseverance. A compilation of vignettes about captains of industry, artists, and inventors who persevered through failure and worked tirelessly to achieve success in their respective fields, Self-Help links individual ambition to the growth of the nation. Contextualizing Smiles's work in a tradition of Renaissance self-fashioning, eighteenth-century advice books, and inspirational biography, Richardson argues that the burgeoning self-help genre of the Victorian era offered a narrative structure that linked individual success with collective success in a one-to-one relationship. Advocating for a broader cultural account of the ambitious hero narrative, Richardson argues that reading these biographies and self-help texts alongside fictional accounts of driven people complicates the morality tale that writers like Smiles took pains to invoke. In chapters featuring the works of Harriet Martineau, Dinah Craik, Thackeray, Trollope, and Miles Franklin, Richardson demonstrates that Victorian fiction dramatized ambition by suggesting where it runs up against the limits of an individual's energy and ability, where it turns into competition, or where it risks upsetting a socio-ecological system of finite resources. The upward mobility plots of John Halifax, Gentleman or Vanity Fair suggest the dangers of zero-sum thinking, particularly evidenced by contemporary preoccupations with Malthusian and Darwinian discourses. Intertwining the methodologies of disability studies and ecocriticism, Material Ambitions persuasively unmasks the longstanding myth that ambitious individualism can overcome disadvantageous systematic and structural conditions.

What the Victorian history of self-help reveals about the myth of individualism.Stories of hardworking characters who lift themselves from rags to riches abound in the Victorian era. From the popularity of such stories, it is clear that the Victorians valorized personal ambition in ways that previous generations had not. In Material Ambitions, Rebecca Richardson explores this phenomenon in light of the under-studied reception history of Samuel Smiles's 1859 publication, Self-Help: With Illustrations of Character, Conduct, and Perseverance. A compilation of vignettes about captains of industry, artists, and inventors who persevered through failure and worked tirelessly to achieve success in their respective fields, Self-Help links individual ambition to the growth of the nation. Contextualizing Smiles's work in a tradition of Renaissance self-fashioning, eighteenth-century advice books, and inspirational biography, Richardson argues that the burgeoning self-help genre of the Victorian era offered a narrative structure that linked individual success with collective success in a one-to-one relationship. Advocating for a broader cultural account of the ambitious hero narrative, Richardson argues that reading these biographies and self-help texts alongside fictional accounts of driven people complicates the morality tale that writers like Smiles took pains to invoke. In chapters featuring the works of Harriet Martineau, Dinah Craik, Thackeray, Trollope, and Miles Franklin, Richardson demonstrates that Victorian fiction dramatized ambition by suggesting where it runs up against the limits of an individual's energy and ability, where it turns into competition, or where it risks upsetting a socio-ecological system of finite resources. The upward mobility plots of John Halifax, Gentleman or Vanity Fair suggest the dangers of zero-sum thinking, particularly evidenced by contemporary preoccupations with Malthusian and Darwinian discourses. Intertwining the methodologies of disability studies and ecocriticism, Material Ambitions persuasively unmasks the longstanding myth that ambitious individualism can overcome disadvantageous systematic and structural conditions.

Totally revised and updated edition fully mapped to the MLA (Medical Licensing Assessment) curriculum"This book is what I would have wished for in my medical student days." From the Foreword by Stella Vig, National Clinical Director for Elective CareAll the core knowledge you need at medical school in one place!Clinical Specialties: Medical Student Revision Guide contains the core information you need on: Community-based medicine; Geriatric medicine; Gynaecology; Obstetrics; Paediatrics; Psychiatry; Dermatology; Ear, nose and throat; Ophthalmology; Anaesthetics; Palliative care.Throughout medical school, and the years thereafter, a huge volume of knowledge must be acquired and retained, to achieve the standards expected of a safe and successful doctor. This is a mammoth task.Clinical Specialties: Medical Student Revision Guide is designed to make accessing and remembering core knowledge as easy as possible: each topic is presented in a colourful, revision-ready note format, with extensive use of diagrams, tables and flowchartskey points are highlighted and core concepts summarised, making the information easier to digest, assimilate and memorisea consistent structure means you always have access to clinical presentation, investigations and management, risk factors and complications.Every chapter has been peer-reviewed by a specialist in the field, to ensure it is accurate and reflects the most up-to-date guidelines.In addition, these specialists have also used their own personal experience of studying for medical exams to ensure that the books focus on the most important conditions, concepts and vocabulary needed to pass finals.Clinical Specialties: Medical Student Revision Guide is the perfect companion for your medicine degree, exam revision, medical finals and your early career as a foundation doctor.

Totally revised and updated edition now mapped to the UKMLA (Medical Licensing Assessment) curriculum“I like the unique style … It is simple, engaging and easy to read, whatever your learning preferences (I particularly like the colour coding!). It also covers topics comprehensively, making it not only a great aide-memoire but also a very useful everyday book on the ward.” From the Foreword by Professor Farah Bhatti OBE, Consultant Cardiothoracic SurgeonAll the core knowledge you need at medical school in one place!General Medicine and Surgery: Medical Student Revision Guide contains the core information you need on: Cardiology; Endocrinology; Gastroenterology; Hepato-pancreato-biliary; Haematology; Immunology & Allergy; Neurology; Renal; Respiratory; General surgical principles; The acute abdomen; Gastrointestinal surgery; The breast; Vascular surgery; Urology; Critical illness; Emergency presentations; Rheumatology; Trauma & orthopaedics.Throughout medical school, and the years thereafter, a huge volume of knowledge must be acquired and retained, to achieve the standards expected of a safe and successful doctor. This is a mammoth task.General Medicine and Surgery: Medical Student Revision Guide is designed to make accessing and remembering core knowledge as easy as possible: each topic is presented in a colourful, revision-ready note format, with extensive use of diagrams, tables and flowchartskey points are highlighted and core concepts summarised, making the information easier to digest, assimilate and memorisea consistent structure means you always have access to clinical presentation, investigations and management, risk factors and complications.Every chapter has been peer-reviewed by a specialist in the field, to ensure it is accurate and reflects the most up-to-date guidelines.In addition, these specialists have also used their own personal experience of studying for medical exams to ensure that the books focus on the most important conditions, concepts and vocabulary needed to pass finals.General Medicine and Surgery: Medical Student Revision Guide is the perfect companion for your medicine degree, exam revision, medical finals and your early career as a foundation doctor.