The environment and ‘Condition of England’ novelists

The depiction of environmental problems, particularly as suffered by the poor, is a major concern in the 19^th-century English novel, in works by Dickens, Gaskell, Kingsley, and other ‘Condition of England’ novelists. Even when indifferent to theological dogma, they tend to view environmental problems of their time as a betrayal of Christian biblical ideals.