Business of Common Life Novels and Classical Economics Between Revolution and Reform

Deriving his theoretical model from systems theory and the Frankfurt school, David Kaufmann argues that the consolidation of economic theory and the critical acceptance of the novel in late Georgian Britain were central to the cultural work if describing and legitimating the commercial state and the society that sustained it. By juxtaposing political texts (from Hume to Mill), moral philosophy, and classical economic theory (from Smith to Mill), and novels by Radcliffe, Austen, Scott, and Shelley, Kaufmann shows how these different discourses worry and attempt to think through the problems of justice and citizenship that mark liberalism and modernity. "This is the most consistently interesting and coherently argued treatment of political economy and literature that I've read. It will find an audience among both literary historians and cultural critics. Indeed, I predict that some of Kaufmann's formulations could influence the way this subject is addressed by future scholars. The Business of Common Life is a book that any student of the subject will have to read and consider carefully."--Mary Poovey, The Johns Hopkins UniversityKaufmann, David is the author of 'Business of Common Life Novels and Classical Economics Between Revolution and Reform' with ISBN 9780801849305 and ISBN 0801849306.