ABSTRACT
The growing ranks of middle class families were united by a common problem: what should their sons do with their lives; to what employment or to what purpose should they devote themselves. Charlotte Yonge has been a writer whose cultural significance has been somewhat overlooked. The traditional pecking order which placed political, diplomatic and constitutional history on a higher plane than social and economic history has gradually been flattened; grudging doors have been opened for recent arrivals such as gender, cultural and postcolonial studies. The history which has emerged, with its emphasis on 'aspects of identity, consciousness and mentality in place of social structure, social organisation, and the economic bases of power', provides an opportunity to interrogate literary texts with the intention of adding to historical understanding. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
