A Fiery & Furious People: A History of Violence in England
- 作者
- 出版社 Random House Books
- 出版时间 2016年9月
- ISBN 1847945139 或 9781847945136
- 定价 186.00
内容简介
ATIMESANDSUNDAYTELEGRAPHBOOKOFTHEYEAR‘Wonderfullyentertaining,comprehensiveandastute.’TheTimes‘Sweepingandambitious…Sharpeisahumaneandclear-eyedguidetoaseriesofintractableandtimelyquestions.’Observer‘Amagisterialbook…Theoutlaw'ssonghassurelyneverbeenbetterrendered.’TimesLiterarySupplementFromthetragictaleofMaryClifford,whosedeathatthehandsofheremployerscandalisedGeorgianLondon,toanaccountoftheviolentactivitiesofVictorianManchester'sscuttlinggangs,viaacharacterportraitoftheduel-obsessedCavalierSirJohnReresby,AFiery&FuriousPeopleexploresthebrutalundersideofournationallifeinallitsvariety.Andasitconsidersthelitanyofassaults,murdersandriotsthatpepperourhistory,italsotracesthesubtleshiftsthathavetakenplacebothinthenatureofviolenceandinpeople'sattitudestoit.Whywasit,forexample,thatwife-beatingcouldatoncebesimultaneouslylegalandsofrowneduponthatpersistentoffendersmightwellendupbeingduckedinthevillagepond?WhendidtheserialkillerfirstmakeanappearanceintheannalsofEnglishcrime?Howcouldfootballberegardedatonemomentasaraucouspastimethatshouldbebanned,andthenextasarespectablesportthatshouldbeencouraged?Whatgaverisetoparticulartypesofviolentcriminal–medievaloutlaws,Georgianhighwaymen,Victoriangarroters–andwhatmadethemdwindleandthenvanish?Throughout,ProfessorJamesSharpedrawsonanastonishinglywiderangeofmaterial–courtrecordsandmurderpamphlets,popularballadsandnovels,sermonsandfilms–topaintvividpicturesofthenation'scriminalsandcriminalsystemfrommedievaltimestothepresentday.Hegivesastrongsenseofwhatitwasliketobecaughtupin,say,astreetbrawlinmedievalOxfordorabattleduringtheEnglishCivilWar.Andhealsoseekstoanswerperhapsthemostfascinatingandfundamentalquestionofall:isacountrythathasexperiencednotonlyconstantaggressiononanindividualscalebutalsothePeasants'Revolt,theGordonRiots,thePollTaxprotestsandtheurbanunrestofsummer2011naturallypronetoviolenceorarewe,infact,graduallybecomingagentlernation?‘Deeplyresearched,thoughtfullyconsideredandvividlywritten…Readit.’HistoryToday‘Sharpe'seyefordetailensuresthattheshockvalueneverdwindles.’MailonSunday****‘Deeplythoughtfulandthought-provoking…genuinelyhardtoputdown.’BBCHistoryMagazine
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