The 'invisible hand' and British fiction, 1818-1860
Adam Smith, political economy, and the genre of realism
by Eleanor Courtemanche
- 1 Want to read
- 1 Have read
Some economic ideas are too interesting to be left to economists. This book argues that Adam Smith's metaphor of the 'invisible hand' ₆ in which selfish economic actions are mysteriously transformed into aggregate social benefits in a capitalist economy ₆ implies an entire spatial and temporal system in which the morality of any particular action can only be understood in the context of society as a whole. The 'Invisible Hand' and British Fiction argues that while political economists focused only on the optimistic outcomes of capitalist moral activity, Smith's model of ironic morality also influenced the work of novelists including Austen, Dickens, Martineau, Thackeray, Gaskell, and Eliot. Their realist novels represent the reconciliation between individual ignorance and systemic overview as much less stable than the economic synthesis, using omniscient narrative voices, multiple perspectives, and humor to depict a wide variety of possible outcomes. Smith shares with the realists a vision of modern society that is structured around a fragile trust in the benefits of unintended consequences.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
Subjects
People
Places
Times
| Edition | Availability |
|---|---|
1
The 'invisible hand' and British fiction, 1818-1860: Adam Smith, political economy, and the genre of realism
2011, Palgrave Macmillan
in English
0230290787 9780230290785
|
aaaa
|
Book Details
Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Classifications
The Physical Object
Edition Identifiers
Work Identifiers
Community Reviews (0)
Lists
Wikipedia citation
×CloseCopy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?