Land Agents: Fact and Fiction in the Long Nineteenth Century

This chapter surveys the perceptions of the land agent as he 'strolls confidently' across the pages of the nineteenth century novel. The authors featured include Jane Austen, Mrs Gaskell and George Eliot who all had some form of personal connection to practising agents. Dakers intertwines the characters from a variety of works with the contemporary agricultural writers of the day, while at the same time exploring the foundations of some of the biggest modern firms who specialise in land management. Importantly her research adds a multi-disciplinary approach to the book and emphasises the importance and function of the profession across time.