The Nether World
by George Gissing
Often considered the best of Hissing's early novels, Pure World is an extremely dramatic, sometimes cruel explanation of a caustic vision of man, shaped by the bitter personal experience of poverty. This story of intrigue depicts life among artisans, factory girls and slum dwellers, documenting an inevitable world devoid of sentimentality and full of people who are schematized and trying to survive. With its intensity and relentlessness, Gissing reveals the economic forces that determine the aspirations and expectations of those born for the world of work.
