Villains Of The Victorian Age
Villains of the Victorian Age:
A Comparison Between Thomas Gradgrind and John Thornton
The Victorian Age, which spans roughly the period from 1832 until 1901, is a term that covers England’s era of scientific revolution, economical progress and the country’s transformation to an industrial society. Novelist and historian Walter Besant observed the transformation of the mind and habits of the ordinary Englishman during the reign of Queen Victoria, after whom the Victorian Age is named. By 1897, he stated that the Englishman “would not, could he see him, recognize his own grandfather” (qtd. in Greenblatt 1018). The most remarkable reactions to contemporary industrial society came in the Condition of England novels of the 1840s and early 1850s. Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell, among others, tried to stimulate social reform through their depiction of social problems. Dickens’ Hard Times and Gaskell’s North and South both include an industrious town in which, using the words of Friedrich Engels; “barbarous indifference, hard egotism on one hand, and nameless misery on the other” (25) are an everyday event. Remarkably, both novels feature an intolerant masculine character; mill owner John Thornton in North and South and teacher Thomas Gradgrind in Hard Times, respectively. Both characters are well known in the literary field, since they have been topic of discussion among critics for centuries. Dickens’ Gradgrind even has his share in the modern day lexis of British English.
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2358 Words | 10 PagesAnthony Belfatto Brit Lit Honors Mr. Hoerner 10/20/14 Vulnerable to the Unknown Women in elegant dresses with umbrellas perched upon their shoulder; men in suits carrying with them their ever so confident stride; children wide-eyed and observant to the changing world around them -- these are the things that could be seen in a single snapshot of the Victorian Era. However, what would be overlooked in such a picture is an alternate dimension to the world at the time which caused ominous rifts to ravage society: fear. This often forgotten element of the Victorian Era was so disquieting yet influential that it made its way into the very fabric of Victorian culture, including its literature. For example, the fear of communicable disease during the Victorian Era could be seen as a subtle influence on the main ideas of the novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker.
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1077 Words | 5 PagesThe time period in which the renowned novel Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is written in, is coined "the Victorian age. " This age is a time of economic prosperity because of the industry field and is marked by an ever growing fissure between the upper and lower classes. It is a time when the wealthy became increasingly more powerful while the lower ranks of society sink into economic turmoil. This division among citizens creates a façade within the society as well as the city itself. The upper class choose to "conform to rigid social standards and to the principal ideas of virtues, ethics, charity and respectability" (Barone).
Margaret Sanger Birth Control Movement Analysis
864 Words | 4 PagesVictorianism was the age of the true woman and the Christian gentleman. People valued the sentiments of character and virtue. They truly believed that all a person had to do to be successful in life was consistently work on becoming a morally right, well-rounded person. A significant part of this were the gender roles deeply embedded into the age. As a Christian gentleman, a man was always right with God and a perfect husband in the home; outside of home, he worked hard and provided for the family.
Servants In The Victorian Era
958 Words | 4 PagesHow bad was the work for servants in the Victorian Era? Servants were never middle or high-class people, they were the poor people. Servants were important for middle and high-class people because they were basic for their daily life. The butler’s duties were a lot easier than some servants, but they were still important.
Evil In The Short Story Of Miss Strangeworth
456 Words | 2 PagesTruly, Miss Strangeworth thought that the town’s people were corrupt and evil, but throughout the story the evil was really Miss Strangeworth. Miss Strangeworth made unethical decisions that led to hurt feelings among the people in her town. Miss Strangeworth’s intentions were to protect the town’s people from evil while her external actions create her own type of evil. Miss Strangeworth corrupted the relationships of the other people in the town toward one another and towards her. Miss Strangeworth’s character was flat and unchanged throughout the story while it was the other people in town who grow and change.
Theme Of Social Justice In A Christmas Carol
369 Words | 2 Pages1) In one of Charles Dickens’ most famous stories, A Christmas Carol, he drops hints about his views on society during Victorian England, which was the period that Dickens lived in. 2) Throughout the novella, Dickens implies his thoughts on social justice that was around him; several pieces of evidence are provided and they all paint a picture of the way the higher class citizens overlooked and disregarded the poorer members of society. In addition, Dickens indicates the way of change that he desired for the rich. 3a) Initially, Dickens uses Scrooge as an example of the wealthy civilians throughout his time due to the fact that Scrooge refuses to donate to the poor and suggests the prisons, Union workhouses, The Treadmill and Poor Law as options
Summary Of A Factory Cripple By William Dodd
1191 Words | 5 PagesCharacters like Mr. Thornton from North and South were able to rise from poverty into their wealth. Dodd provides readers with an alternative point of view opposing Thornton’s upbringing. As a work of nonfiction, Dodd’s encounters and experiences are more raw and descriptive. From the beginning of the text until the end, Dodd tells readers about how working in mills or factories has impacted his life. Dodd was not always crippled and he explains himself at the time as “ a fine, strong, healthy, hardy boy, straight in every limb, and remarkably stout and active” (Dodd 187) .
Emotional And Character Development In Bronte's Jane Eyre
1588 Words | 7 PagesTo deliberate these points further, the setting of Gateshead, Lowood and Thornfield will be closely analysed. Additionally, it will discuss how Bronte used the setting of Jane Eyre, to demonstrate that women can go beyond the oppressive limitations of their gender, and social class and find fulfilment. It will also consider how the setting reflects the political and social conditions of the era. The novel opens with a vivid description of the setting at Gateshead, which epitomises the first stage of the protagonist’s Jane Eyre’s life journey and her childhood development. The passage declares that ‘the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre and a rain so penetrating’ (Bronte, Jane Eyre, [1847] 2000, 1.1, all subsequent page
Tale Of Two Cities Tone Analysis
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Theme Of Social Injustice In Great Expectations
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Women In The Victorian Society In Tess Of The D Urbervilles
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