Poésie ouvrière et paternalisme en Grande-Bretagne

Fabienne Moine (1)

1 IMAGER - Institut des Mondes Anglophone, Germanique et Roman - EA 3958

The circulation of poems written by workers made the British factory of the second half of the nineteenth century a place of sociability that mitigated the effects of industrialization. The production and consumption of poetry were common social and cultural practices that strengthened the working-class community around the figure of the working-class bards. These working-class poets consolidated the feeling of belonging to the working class, to a trade, or even to a specific factory. First, I will explore how the poetic sociability was established within the factory and around the figure of the working-class bard, supported by a whole poetic economy (magazines, editorial support, patronage, construction of a poetic persona, oral performances). In a second part specifically on the poetry of female workers, I will show that their poetry is less the result of a tangible form of sociability than the representation of an ideal community of female workers, portrayed as respectable and proud of their social belonging and the role they played in the poetry production cycle. Finally, I will see that some workers presented the institution as a space that consolidated the local working class community. Their poems describe the factory as a unifying institution, particularly through the cultural practices on the premises. The institution provided visibility, respectability and recognition on a local, sometimes national scale. One may wonder whether poetry in honour of the factory was a sign of deference to industrial capitalism or evidence of a factory sociability that transcended class differences.

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Fabienne Moine. Poésie ouvrière et paternalisme en Grande-Bretagne. La fabrique des sociabilités en Europe et dans les colonies: Espaces et identités (XVIII e-XIX e siècles), 2023, 978-2-7606-4498-4. ⟨hal-04102299⟩