Living with Strangers

Living with Strangers examines the history and cultural representation of bed-sitting rooms and boarding houses in England from the early twentieth century to the present. Providing a historical overview the authors explore how these alternative domestic spaces came to provide shelter for a diverse demographic of working women and men retired army officers gay people students bohemians writers artists performers migrants and asylum seekers as well as shady figures and criminals. Drawing on historical records case studies and examples from literature art and film the book examines how the prevalence and significance of bedsits and boarding houses in novels plays detective stories Ealing comedies and contemporary fiction and film produced its own genre of narrative. The nine chapters are written by an international range of established and emerging scholars in the fields of literary studies art and film history political theory queer studies and cultural studies. A lively highly original study Living with Strangers makes a significant contribution to the cross-disciplinary field of home studies and provides insight into a crucial aspect of British cultural history. It is essential reading for students and researchers in anthropology history literary studies sociology gender and sexuality studies film studies and cultural studies.