GE Context Flashcards
When was Charles Dickens born?
1812
What happened to Dickens when he was 12?
His father was arrested for debt and sent to prison. Dickens was forced to work in a factory.
How did working in a factory and experiencing being poor change Dickens’s views?
He disliked the class divide and wanted to get rid of social classes.
When did Dickens die?
1870
How did the Industrial revolution affect the book?
The industial revolution was in full swing during Dickens’s life and he portrays this in the novel through the stark contrast between the quiet marshes where Pip grew up and the busy city of London.
When was the French Revolution?
1789
How did the British government react to the French Revolution?
They got scared of their own people revolting and made the legal system harsher and more unfair which is reflected in the characters Jaggers and Magwitch.
How did Dickens show in unfairness of the legal system in GE?
Privileged Compeyson escapes transportation but poor, illiterate Magwitch is still sent away.
Unsafe and overcrowded hulks, frequent use of the death penalty, and the unfair way that poor people often lacked representation (Jaggers).
How did Dickens views on children, their need for schooling, and domestic violence affect the book?
A few corrupt schools, but Biddy, a kind-hearted school teacher, is a quiet heroine and even teaches Joe to write.
Mrs. Joe’s abuse, the horrible childhoods of Joe and Magwitch, and the overrun Pocket house all reflect Dicken’s own unhappy childhood and the mistreatment of children duting Victorian times.
What are the features of gothic literature found in GE?
Reminders of death and unusual death.
Madness.
Distinctive architecture.
Disguises and secrets.
Gloomy weather and landscape.
What is a bildungsroman?
A novel that tells the story of one person growing up and becoming an adult and learning about themselves along the way.
What are the features of a bildungsroman?
Sensitive main character.
Novel starts with an emotional loss.
Main character sets out to explore the world.
The goal of this character is to be a mature, knowleadgable adult.
Often conflict with the world.
The main character helps others at the end because of what they learnt.
Why was GE published as a serial?
It was expensive to buy books at the time and so people would read a few chapters in a magazine every month.
How does GE being published as a serial affect the plot?
Each chapter had to be interesting and exciting otherwise people wouldn’t keep reading. Dickens used cliffhangers in some of his chapters to keep people anticipating the next chapter.
