
A Child of the Jago
Arthur Morrison(Author)
Peter Miles(Editor)
Oxford University Press
Published on 9. February 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-19-960551-4 (ISBN)
Description
'The Jago had got him, and it held him fast.'
In the worst of London's East End slums, in an area called the Jago, young Dicky Perrott is used to a life of poverty, crime, and violence. Gang warfare is the order of the day, deaths are commonplace, and thieving the only way to survive. At first Dicky dreams of becoming a High Mobsman - one of the aristocrats of Jago crime - but the efforts of Father Sturt to improve conditions offer him a different path. Dicky's journey takes him through a savage but colourful community of pickpockets and cosh-carriers, where the police only enter in threes, and where murder erupts with an unusual horror and intimacy.
Morrison's portrayal of the Victorian underclass and its underworld drew attention to the bleak prospects for children living in such surroundings, and it is a classic of slum-fiction. In this edition Peter Miles provides a rich contextual background to the creation of the novel, and the social debates to which it contributed.
ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
In the worst of London's East End slums, in an area called the Jago, young Dicky Perrott is used to a life of poverty, crime, and violence. Gang warfare is the order of the day, deaths are commonplace, and thieving the only way to survive. At first Dicky dreams of becoming a High Mobsman - one of the aristocrats of Jago crime - but the efforts of Father Sturt to improve conditions offer him a different path. Dicky's journey takes him through a savage but colourful community of pickpockets and cosh-carriers, where the police only enter in threes, and where murder erupts with an unusual horror and intimacy.
Morrison's portrayal of the Victorian underclass and its underworld drew attention to the bleak prospects for children living in such surroundings, and it is a classic of slum-fiction. In this edition Peter Miles provides a rich contextual background to the creation of the novel, and the social debates to which it contributed.
ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Reviews / Votes
Our horrified fascination remains unabated * The Independent *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Readers interested in urban literature, working-class fiction, social realism, Victorian literature, the Victorian underclass, writing about London; students of Victorian literature, British social history, sociology, social policy, Victorian studies, urban studies.
Illustrations
map of the Jago
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
192 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-960551-4 (9780199605514)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Arthur Morrison | Peter Miles
A Child of the Jago
E-Book
02/2012
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€5.49
Available for download
Persons
Peter Miles is the editor of Robert Tressell's The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists for OWC.
Author
Editor
Emeritus Fellow of the English Association, formerly Head of English, University of Wales, Lampeter.