Imagining the Penitentiary

Download or read book Imagining the Penitentiary written by John Bender and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1987 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This brilliant and insightful contribution to cultural studies investigates the role of literature—particularly the novel—and visual arts in the development of institutions. Arguing the attitudes expressed in narrative literature and art between 1719 and 1779 helped bring about the change from traditional prisons to penitentiaries, John Bender offers studies of Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders, The Beggar's Opera, Hogarth's Progresses, Jonathan Wild, and Amelia as well as illustrations from prison literature, art, and architecture in support of his thesis.