In the introduction to the last lesson, we dispelled some misperceptions about Victorian sexuality and views of imperialism. For this lesson, let’s take a look at Victorian attitudes toward class. In Hollywood movies, Victorians are often portrayed as class-conscious snobs whose primary aim in life is to keep the lower classes from marrying their daughters. In reality, Victorians rebelled against aristocratic notions of self-worth. As the merchant classes gained wealth and power, the slogan “worth not birth” informed their recruitment efforts for the British civil service and other offices. Nowhere is this emphasis on social mobility more evident than in the fiction of the Victorian era. Charles Dickens and Charlotte Brontë both wrote novels in which a young, middle-class protagonist rebels against aristocratic values to achieve material comfort in marriages based on love and companionship. For middle-class characters, at least, social climbing was not only acceptable, but it was also immensely gratifying to Victorian readers.
While the novel emerged in the eighteenth century, it reached full flower in the Victorian era, becoming a primary vehicle for the expression of Victorian attitudes and values. In this lesson, we’ll be reading examples of Victorian fiction. The short stories included in this lesson include many of the features of realist fiction that have come to be associated with the novel, including believable characters set in everyday locations speaking in common language.
Lesson Objectives
• Analyze the growth and development of the Victorian novel
• Identify and analyze the elements of realist fiction
• Make predictions about literature
• Discuss how setting establishes the mood of a story
• Compare characters
• Draw conclusions about an author’s purpose
• Evaluate third-person omniscient point-of-view
• Determine the meaning of words from context clues
Reading Assignments
1. Read “Literary Analysis Workshop: The Growth and Development of Fiction,” pp. 948-949.
2. Read the biographical sketch of Anthony Trollope and “Malachi’s Cove,” pp. 950-971.
3. Read the biographical sketch of Elizabeth Gaskell and “Christmas Storms and Sunshine,” pp. 974-987.
Reading Questions
Read “Literary Analysis Workshop: The Growth and Development of Fiction,” pp. 948-949.
1. Based on the passage at the bottom of p. 948, describe the attitudes of the workhouse authorities toward Oliver. Do they seem indifferent? Caring? Cruel? Explain what led to your conclusion?
Read the biographical sketch of Anthony Trollope and “Malachi’s Cove,” pp. 950-971.
2. What do the Gunliffes initially believe to be the cause of their son’s accident?
3. Choose three passages from the story that you feel best represents Trollope’s realist style. What characteristics of realism does each passage illustrate?
4. Describe the mood in each of the following passages. In what ways does Trollope use the setting to help create the mood?
• The description of the cove (lines 235-240)
• The description of the wind and tide (lines 282-289)
• The description of Barty’s fall (lines 318-330)
5. Reread the portrayals of Mally and Old Glos in lines 380-390 and 513-522. Explain what these passages reveal about each character’s willingness and ability to trust others? What might account for the differences between the two characters?
6. What moral lesson might Trollope have intended this story to teach? Cite details to support your answer.
Read the biographical sketch of Elizabeth Gaskell and “Christmas Storms and Sunshine,” pp. 974-987.
7. How does Mrs. Jenkins’s attitude toward baby Tom change over the course of the story?
8. Explain why the two families feel antagonism toward each other at the beginning of the story. What causes them to overcome their prejudice against each other? Support your conclusions with evidence.
9. In your opinion, is the truce between the two families likely to last? Explain why or why not, citing evidence from the story to support your answer.
10. Victorian literature is known for its realism—the careful and detailed presentation of everyday life. But in addition to depicting reality, Victorian authors like Gaskell had another purpose: they used their writing to expose the problems plaguing their society. What aspects of Victorian society is Gaskell commenting on in this story? Support your answer with details, description, and dialogue from the text.
11. The word omniscient comes from the Latin word omnis, which means “all,” and scientia, which means “knowledge.” Identify at least two passages in the story that show that this narrator particularly affected you. Describe how the story might have been different if it had been told in the third-person limited point-of-view.
Vocabulary in Context
Complete the Vocabulary Practice on p. 972.
Decide whether the words in each pair are synonyms or antonyms.
1. precipitous/horizontal
2. indefatigable/lazy
3. interloper/trespasser
4. impede/ease
5. garner/distribute
6. desist/commence
7. eddying/whirling
8. orifice/cavity
Complete the Vocabulary Strategy: Related Words on p. 972
Use the related word in parentheses to determine the meaning of each boldfaced word. Check your work by consulting a dictionary.
1. (require) At Tintagel, all the requisites for beauty are present.
2. (inhabit) Malachi built his habitation on a foundation of rock.
3. (sense) Barty was quite insensible and very pale.
4. (inquire) The Gunliffes angrily questioned Malachi, who hardly knew how to bear this terrible inquisition.
5. (coward) The fine house and presence of so many people cowed Mally and made her speechless.
Independent Reading Assignment
The story of A Passage to India is a compelling one, about an English woman whose desire to see the real India conflicts with the imperialist protocol of the British Empire. At the same time, the novel tells the story of Dr. Aziz, who is highly educated but frustrated by the limitations placed on him as a native Indian in a British colony. To stay on pace, you should reach Chapter 12 by the end of this lesson.
Main Assignment
Descriptions are not just a way to convey setting; they can also help a writer communicate mood. Visualize a scene that calls up a strong feeling in you. Write a 1-2 page description that not only describes the place or situation you picture in your mind but also gets across the way it makes you feel.
A successful description will:
• Clearly establish the setting
• Use precise language and sensory changes
• Use evocative details that convey a strong sense of mood
Tip – One of the major thinkers whose work influenced the writing of this textbook as well as Laurel Springs School curriculum is Benjamin Bloom, who developed a taxonomy of learning called, appropriately enough, Bloom’s Taxonomy. In Bloom’s Taxonomy, there are six levels of learning, each one successively more complex than the last. These levels are:
• Recall/Knowledge – the ability to recount information from a source
• Comprehension – the ability to understand information from a source
• Application – the ability to use information according to certain principles or rules
• Analysis – To break information into the sum of its parts, discuss how it works, and reorganize it into meaningful patterns and relationships
• Synthesis – To apply knowledge that one has and apply it to new sources of knowledge
• Evaluation – To assess whether a source of information is sound or unsound
As you review the questions in this course, observe which level of Bloom’s taxonomy they are using. How can you take a recall question and apply the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy?
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET AN AMAZING DISCOUNT 🙂