Yi Zhang, Xuan Hu, Mengya Ma

College of foreign languages, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Abstract：

 As a Neo-Victorian workhouse novel, Death at the Workhouse unfolds through a series of mysterious deaths within the workhouse and the ensuing investigation led by journalist Penny Green and Police Chief James Blakely. The narrative exposes the cruelty and hypocrisy of the Victorian workhouse system, reflecting Organ’s critique of social injustice and her pursuit of moral reform in the context of Victorian poverty relief. Grounded in New Historicism, this paper takes the historicity of the text and the textuality of history as its theoretical foundation, analyzing the novel’s social background and character development. The historicity of the text is reflected both in the Victorian cultural revival that shaped Organ’s writing and in the realistic depiction of hunger, disease, and death among the poor. Meanwhile, the textuality of history implies that our understanding of the past depends on surviving narratives. The novel reveals the brutal truths behind medical progress—murder, grave robbing, and dissection—thereby challenging the grand narratives of official history. By reconstructing the identities of its protagonists from real events, the novel presents history as inherently subjective and textualized. This study also explores the micro-histories embedded in the narrative, uncovering marginalized voices and reconstructing historical warmth to envision a more humane view of the past. Finally, it reflects on the novel’s historical insights and its educational significance for modern readers.

Keywords:

Neo-Victorian novel; Death at the Workhouse; new historicism; gistoricity of text; textuality of history