George Gissing, the Working Woman, and Urban Culture

E. Liggins

George Gissing s work reflects his observations of fin-de-si&&egrave,cle London life. Influenced by the French naturalist school, his realist representations of urban culture testify to the significance of the city for the development of new class and gender identities, particularly for women. Liggins s study, which considers standard texts such as The Odd Women, New Grub Street, and The Nether World as well as lesser known short works, examines Gissing s fiction in relation to the formation of t