ABSTRACT
Thomas Holcroft's belief in universal benevolence and its potential for the gradual improvement of human societies provides a common thread that informs the body of his work in a remarkable variety of genres. Even as Holcroft lay on his deathbed in the winter of 1808-1809, he ventured into yet another new genre when he decided to dictate his Memoirs, a project that he unfortunately left unfinished when he died on 23 March 1809. Holcroft also develops a sub-plot in duplicity in which the obsession of the character of Scrip with speculating on the Stock Exchange parallels Sir Harry's obsession with gambling. The abolition of death penalty and the reformation of criminals, would become a major aspect of Holcroft's vision for social reform, and instances involving the reform of criminals are scattered throughout his Jacobin novels. Holcroft uses Bryan Perdue's own case to illustrate the utility of reforming those who have committed criminal acts.
