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Obscenity and Work in Early-Eighteenth-Century British Fictions
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 October 2020
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George Lillo's play the london merchant (1731), one of the most popular tragedies of the eighteenth century, makes the case for the respectability of men who have accumulated wealth through work. Lillo takes every opportunity to display the honor of a London merchant named Thorowgood. In the opening scene, the merchant describes how he persuaded his international colleagues to withhold a loan from Spain, leaving that country unable to attack the English fleet. Thorowgood's action, from which the merchant makes no profit, is unrelated to the plot and serves only to establish his character and patriotism. In another demonstration of his honorable nature, Thorowgood insists that his daughter should marry the man she loves without regard to his fortune or status.
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