Mugsborough Then & Now: Robert Tressell's 'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists' Revisited

The story of Robert Tressell and his book has been told and re-told by various authors, each account framed in accordance with their own perspective. His novel has also been the subject of academic scrutiny and literary criticism, but the approach adopted here is different. It focuses on the striking, not to say shocking parallels with modern day Britain, comparing Tressell's descriptions of early 20th century Britain and with their 21st century counterparts.Each subject is split into two parts, with the first section quoting examples from The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists and in the second part evidence based modern-day equivalents are introduced.