Social Context Flashcards
What was a ‘fallen woman’ in Victorian society? (4 points)
Someone who rejected Victorian society’s oppressive moral values concerning domesticity, sexuality, and femininity
Women were considered ‘fallen’ if they engaged in pre-marital sexual activity - regardless of whether they were seduced, raped or prostituted themselves
Became shunned for being tainted - viewed as a threat to respectable society (shown by Tess’s execution)
Popularly portrayed in Victorian art, literature and media as moralists warned against the consequences of losing one’s virtue
What is the context behind the ‘fallen women’ archetype? (3 points)
Victorian society’s values were built on medieval ideals of sinfulness and the seductiveness of Eve
Moral purity was seen as tied to physical virginity rather than one’s character - victims of sexual violence weren’t exempted from this notion
Sexual innocence was highly valued and sex was only deemed appropriate within marriage
How is Tess portrayed as a fallen woman in the novel? (3 points)
Hardy centralised the theme of the fallen woman - explored the unfairness of the sexual double standard pervading Victorian society
The chain of events leading to it ultimately begins and ends with the belief that she is a fallen woman - she is seduced and corrupted at an early age, and cast from her society
Tess’s ultimate fate demonstrates the dangers of rejecting ideal female values and qualities
What was Victorian society’s attitude towards women? (3 points)
The female body was idealised and objectified by Victorian society
Sexual double standards:
+ Men wanted and needed sex - faced fewer consequences for their behaviour
+ Women were expected to be chaste - submitted to sex only to please their husbands
Women were also seen as naturally more religious and morally finer than men (who were distracted by sexual passions by which women supposedly were untroubled)
What were the gender roles in Victorian society? (5 points each)
Men are physically strong, women are weak
Sex was central for men, reproduction was central for women
Men are independent, women are dependent
Men - public sphere
Women - private sphere
Men are meant to participate in politics and paid work
Women are meant to run households and raise families
What was the reasoning for the gender roles in Victorian society? (2 points)
Based on the “doctrine ofseparate spheres” - men and women were different and meant for different things
Gender was considered to be determinative of almost every aspect of an individual’s potential and character
What did Victorian gender roles apply to families ? (3 points)
Before the 19th century, it was normal for women to work alongside their husbands and brothers in the family business
As the 19th century progressed, wives, daughters and sisters were left at home all day to oversee the domestic duties that servants increasingly carried out
Became a common belief that women belonged at home - most women could not afford to leave it
What were Victorian attitudes towards marriage like? (3 points)
In Victorian society, an unmarried woman was regarded as a failure
Young girls weren’t expected to focus on finding a husband - being ‘forward’ in the company of men suggested a worrying sexual appetite
Women were assumed to desire marriage because it allowed them to become mothers rather than to pursue sexual or emotional satisfaction
What is the ‘the Angel in the House’ archetype? (3 points)
It was the popular Victorian image of the ideal wife/woman - someone devoted and submissive to her husband
The Angel is:
+ Pure
+ Passive
+ Powerless
+ Pious
+ Charming
+ Graceful
+ Sympathetic
+ Self-sacrificing
The phrase comes from Coventry Patmore’s poem of the same name, in which he holds his angel wife up as a model for all women
What is Thomas Hardy’s relation to the women’s suffrage? (4 points)
TOTD is said to have inspired the early suffragettes - outlines a lot of the inequality that women faced within society
Hardy was frequently asked about his views, but he kept them from the public - often refused to endorse causes even when he sympathised with them
While he thought women should have the vote by right, he wasn’t convinced that they would use it wisely
Nevertheless, he refused to support those against women’s suffrage
What were class differences like in Victorian times? (3 points)
People lower down on the social hierarchy experienced discrimination and condescension
Lower-class people prioritised financial stability and wealth to maintain their family’s honour
Most working-class families could not live out the “doctrine of separate spheres” - they could not survive on a single male wage
What is the context behind divorce in the Victorian era (2 points)
A couple could only be divorced by the passage of a private act through Parliament–remedy - available only to the very wealthy
About ten private acts for divorce were passed in Parliament each year
