'The Tottering, Fluttering, Palpitating Mass': Power and Hunger in Nineteenth-Century Literary Responses to the Great Famine

Abstract

This chapter examines representations of power and powerlessness in nineteenth-century literary responses to the Great Famine, arguing that many of these - largely middle-class authors - transcend the values and prejudices of their class in the attempt to engage honestly and imaginatively with the sufferings of Famine victims.