Victorian age Flashcards
What does coketown represent?
Also, description.
A factual and materialistic world. Monotony is the main featur. It represent the negative effects of the industrial society.
Synesthetic description: all senses. Sight: everything looks the same. Colours, hellish atmosphere.
Smell and sound.
General information about hard times
Novel divided in 3 books - sowing Seads of a materialistic education - reaping Harvest of fruits Gardening - storing the results A society based on materialism isn’t solid.
Nobel of denounce against the narrow mid ness of materialism.
It is a denunciation novel, a powerful accusation of industrial society.
Themes: critique of materialism and utilitarians,
Gap between rich and poor.
Aim to illustrate the dangers of allowing people to become like machines
Suggest that without imagination life would be unbereable.
Description of Gradgrind
Overall we have the description of a severe and narrow minded person. Also unattractive.
His voice is inflexible, dictatorial.
His physical description (squared ..) underlines his being extremely concrete and devoted to facts.
There are similes that help create a sort of caricature. (Which again underlines his being extremely concrete.
What does Oliver Twist symbolise?
He’s always innocent and pure.
He fictionalised the humiliation dickens experienced during his childhood
Description of characters in Oliver Twist
Used of caricature and exaggeration to increase the reader’s interest. Also, in Oliver wants some more he uses antithetical exaggerated images to describe the poor kids on one side (as skinny and hungry) and the fat master on the other. So kids submission to the authority so Victorian compromise.
Style and register of Dickens
Language very rich and original. Careful choice of adjectives Repetition of word to emphasise a concept. Very detailed and powerful descriptions. Exaggeration —> increase interest Irony remarks.
Novel manners
Jane Austen is the master of novel of manners.
There is a vital relationship between manners, social behaviour and a character.
- set in upper and middle class society.
- influence of class distinctions on character.
- visits, balls, teas as occasions for joining up.
-marriage, complications of love.
-third person narrator.
Dialogue.
Irony.
-passions and emotions not expressed directly.
How to relate Victorian social convention to the plot of pride and prejudice.
It was common in the Victorian age for a woman to arrange a marriage to elevate the social status, for example the mum is concerned in arranging marriages.
Point out darcie’s attitude in the text.
He’s self confident since he’s an aristocrat and he firmly believes he’s in a superior position, because of his social pride, the pride of being part of an higher social class.
Reaction of Elizabeth to darcie’s proposal.
She despised his arrogant behaviour, she rejects harshly without even thanking him since he hurt her pride and he didn’t proposed gentlemen like way.
- she blames him for separating her sis from Bingley
- depriving Wicham of his inheritance.
Reaction of Darcy
He’s angry, astonished, arrogant, can’t believe it.
Themes in pride and prejudice
- the relationship between the individual and society. (Heroine, Elizabeth. Or she asserts her personality and be independent or she accepts the social Victorian rules.
- the conflict between the individual’s desires and individual’s responsibility to society.
- the contrast between imagination and reason.
- love, cournetship, marriage.
How is marriage presented in pride and prejudice?
It’s presented from several points of view.
. In terms of security and independence.
-arsing of physical infatuation.
-contain elements of love and prudence.
Description of Elizabeth and Darcy.
Elizabeth
- lively mind
- capable of complex impressions and ideas
- strong spirit of independence
- refuses to take on the roles which her family or society tries to impose on her.
- accuses Darcy of pride.
Darcy
- knows the principles of right conduct
- he’s selfish and unsociable.
- accuses Elizabeth of prejudice
Victorian age.
Queen at 18, her sense of duty made her the ideal head of a constitutional monarchy.
-she provided country with stability.
Her family life provided a model of respectability.
It was an age of reforms: voting privilege were extended, children were prevented from being employed, workhouses fear, introduction of secrete ballot.
(Chartism).
