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Abstract
The essay examines changing perspectives on the city in England and France, during a time of urban expansion, with reference to four seminal works of literature. Life in London (1821) was a serial by Pierce Egan Sr., with coloured etchings by George and Robert Cruikshank. It was the first work to portray London topography, its peoples and their occupations, as an organic whole, a city in which every part had its own fascination. Using the narrative device of a lively man about town introducing a countryman to city life, it was much imitated, often dramatized, and it set the stage for the Victorian urban novel. First published in France, the Memoirs (1828–29) of Eugène Francois Vidocq was popular on both sides of the channel. With its view of city streets as a labyrinth of crime, it fostered both the detective story and the ‘Mysteries’ genre of urban fiction, which is examined here with reference to works by Eugene Sue and G. W. M. Reynolds.