ABSTRACT
After a general discussion which establishes and challenges prevailing notions of therhetorical relationship between John Ruskin and John Stuart Mill, this chapter examines the marginalcomments made by Ruskin in his second edition copy of Mill’s Principles of Political Economy for clues concerning the nature of Ruskin’s reading of Mill. It suggests that, whilst the details of Ruskin’s reading of Mill are a losthistorical event, by using the marginalia in conjunction with the text of Mill’s Principles and the text of Ruskin’s, it is possible to arrive at an understanding of Ruskin’s reading that is richer than interpretations made hitherto. Ruskin’s work was usually informed by Greek models and such sources influenced both the form as well as the content of Ruskin’s writing. Ruskin’s writings on political economy are shot through with an emotional reaction to poverty and its implications and with the sense that existing political economy is inapplicable to existing social problems.
