''Demos: A Story of English Socialism'' is a novel by the English author
George Gissing
George Robert Gissing (; 22 November 1857 – 28 December 1903) was an English novelist, who published 23 novels between 1880 and 1903. His best-known works have reappeared in modern editions. They include '' The Nether World'' (1889), '' New Gr ...
.
It was written between late 1885 and March 1886 and first published in April 1886 by
Smith, Elder & Co.
Plot summary
It tells the story of a young, lower-class,
Radical
Radical may refer to:
Politics and ideology Politics
* Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change
*Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe an ...
working-man, Richard Mutimer, who unexpectedly inherits a large fortune. He becomes the leader of a
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
movement and decides to use his
inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offici ...
to set up a cooperative factory. However, his new wealth and power serve to highlight the defects of character that he brings from his
working-class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
origin and he begins to treat his workers harshly, as well as abandoning the girl of his own station to whom he had been engaged.
Later in life, Mutimer marries an upper-middle-class woman (who does not love him) and stands for Parliament. However, his downfall begins when his wife, Adela, finds a later version of the
will that had enriched Mutimer. As this could deprive him of his inheritance, he wants to destroy it but Adela will not permit this and the money goes to the rightful heir. The cooperative factory is shut down and the couple move to London, to live in relative poverty.
Mutimer starts another populist movement but is killed by a stone thrown at him by a demonstrator during a meeting at which his followers turn against him.
References
*
Further reading
* Goode, John (1968). "Gissing, Morris, and English Socialism," ''Victorian Studies,'' Vol. XII, No. 2, pp. 201–226.
* Goode, John (1969). "Gissing's 'Demos': A Controversy," ''Victorian Studies,'' Vol. XII, No. 4, pp. 431–444.
* Lelchuk, Alan (1969). "'Demos': The Ordeal of the Two Gissings," ''Victorian Studies,'' Vol. XII, No. 3, pp. 357–374.
* Sporn, Paul (1969). "Gissing's 'Demos': Late-Victorian Values and the Displacement of Conjugal Love," ''Studies in the Novel,'' Vol. I, No. 3, pp. 334–346.
External links
''Demos,''Vol. IIVol. III
at Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music ...
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Novels by George Gissing
1886 British novels
Victorian novels
Novels set in England
Novels set in the 19th century
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