Amusements of the people : the provision of recreation in Leicester, 1850-1914
The thesis takes as its subject the development of cultural forms and institutions, exploring constraints on the exercise of choice in the use of non-work time in an evolving capitalist society. By means of a local study, it aims to describe relationships between aspects of popular recreation, especially those involving working class participation, and to relate these to economic and political circumstances. The study focuses upon individuals and organisations providing facilities and creating institutions in which non-work time was spent outside the home. The body of the thesis consists of discrete but interrelated studies of themes in the development of recreation in Leicester. These concern the relationship between recreation and the workplace (ch.1), the role of religious organisations as providers and critics of recreational activities (ch.2), initiatives by the municipal authorities (ch.3) and licensing magistrates (ch.4), the bases of commercial provision in the drink trade, theatre and sport (chs.4-6) and the engagement of the labour movement (ch.7). The thesis is written from a critical standpoint which acknowledges as fundamental to the understanding of 19th century recreation the uneven distribution
Crump, Jeremy
DA Great Britain ; GV Recreation Leisure
Amusements of the people : the provision of recreation in Leicester, 1850-1914. The thesis takes as its subject the development of cultural forms and institutions, exploring constraints on the exercise of choice in the use of non-work time in an evolving capitalist society. By means of a local study, it aims to describe relationships between aspects of popular recreation, especially those involving working class participation, and to relate these to economic and political circumstances. The study focuses upon individuals and organisations providing facilities and creating institutions in which non-work time was spent outside the home. The body of the thesis consists of discrete but interrelated studies of themes in the development of recreation in Leicester. These concern the relationship between recreation and the workplace (ch.1), the role of religious organisations as providers and critics of recreational activities (ch.2), initiatives by the municipal authorities (ch.3) and licensing magistrates (ch.4), the bases of commercial provision in the drink trade, theatre and sport (chs.4-6) and the engagement of the labour movement (ch.7). The thesis is written from a critical standpoint which acknowledges as fundamental to the understanding of 19th century recreation the uneven distribution
people provision recreation leicester take subject development cultural form institution explore constraint exercise choice use non work time evolve capitalist_society mean local study aim_describe relationship aspect popular recreation especially involve work_class participation relate economic_political circumstance study_focus upon individual organisation provide facility create institution non work time spend outside home body consist discrete interrelated study theme development recreation leicester concern_relationship recreation workplace role religious organisation provider critic recreational activity initiatives municipal authority licensing magistrate base commercial provision drink trade theatre sport chs engagement labour_movement write critical standpoint acknowledges fundamental recreation uneven distribution