This thesis investigates how Henry James’s The Princess Casamassima, George Gissings’s Demos and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Little Lord Fauntleroy address contemporary social anxieties about class...Show moreThis thesis investigates how Henry James’s The Princess Casamassima, George Gissings’s Demos and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Little Lord Fauntleroy address contemporary social anxieties about class and gender identity by exploring the themes of inheritance and social mobility in relation to the idea of the gentleman. In all three novels the male main character tries to improve his own social position while at the same time he tries to deal with social inequality. Driven by their ideals Hyacinth Robinson, Richard Mutimer and Cedric Errol all try to make positive contributions to the society they live in. Their attempts are not equally successful.Show less