British Class System and Reflection of The Underclass in Irvin Welsh's Trainspotting

Abstract

The aim of the thesis is to depict class system of the 20th century British society and the underclass in particular, in the novel Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. The first part of the thesis provides a theoretical background to the analysis concerning the evolution of British society aimed to the underclass and the working class, diverse approaches towards the underclass and the poor and British welfare system of the second half of 20th century. In the second part of the thesis the information gained from the novel is compared to comprehensive social studies and the thesis is ended with summary and conclusions about presence of the underclass in Trainspotting.