Until 1834 Martineau was occupied with her brother James on the political economy series, as well as a supplemental series of "Poor Laws and Paupers Illustrated and Illustrations of Taxation" which was intended to directly influence government policy. About the same time, she published four stories expressing support of the Whig Poor Law reforms. These tales (direct, lucid, written without any appearance of effort, and yet practically effective) display the characteristics of their author's style. Tory paternalists reacted by calling her a Malthusian "who deprecates charity and provision for the poor", while Radicals opposed her to the same degree. Whig high society fêted her.