Houses of Correction - by Matthew Ritger (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This book delves into the archives of London's Bridewell to show how humanist reformers provided the ideas, justifications, and administration for England's houses of correction, early workhouses, and so-called "Literary worke-houses," even as repeated scandals and outcry made it increasingly clear that these coercive institutions would forever be at odds with the ideals and norms of humanist culture"--Publisher's description.

Book Synopsis

The first book-length literary history of some of early modern Europe's most influential carceral institutions, including England's Bridewell

More than 250 years before the rise of the modern penitentiary, houses of correction pioneered the use of forced labor and individualized sentences within institutions of confinement, promoting reform and the "hope of amendment" for every individual. Yet these earlier carceral institutions faced many of the problems that remain familiar today: corruption scandals, recidivism, and abuses of power.

In Houses of Correction, Matthew Ritger turns to the archives of England's first house of correction, Bridewell, to show how humanist reformers provided ideas, justifications, and administration for what came to be called bridewells, workhouses, and "Literary worke-houses," even as repeated scandals made it clear that these coercive institutions would forever be at odds with the ideals of humanist culture. Examining how the work of writers including More, Shakespeare, and Milton dealt with humanism's entanglements with these new prisons, Houses of Correction constructs the first book-length literary history of some of early modern Europe's most influential carceral institutions.

About the Author

Matthew Ritger is Assistant Professor of English at Dartmouth College.