Why does work get so little attention in the novel? In real life, from the age of five onwards, most of us will spend half our waking lives at some form of work, so why is work so much less worthy of a novelist’s attention than love or adventure? As so often in literature, it may be that this has its origins in the Bible — and in particular the story of the Fall. When Eve tempted Adam to share her disobedience, his fate was that the care of the garden which had been so pleasant to him should become a curse: ‘In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread’ (Genesis 3, 19). This biblical edict, that work must equal pain and we deserve no better, is the half-hidden justification behind much ruthless exploitation.
It is no use pretending that much labour is more than tedious and/or exhausting drudgery, but it is also worth noting that in many societies story-telling in one form or another has traditionally provided respite from the pains of work. Unsurprisingly, stories then come to be seen by some as frivolous distractions from more worthwhile employment. From its beginnings in the early eighteenth century, the novel in English has reflected such anxieties, and novelists have reacted with claims for the moral and educational values of their wares.
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