Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, and the Victorian Age

Comprehensive review flashcards covering Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Queen Victoria's reign and family life, 19th-century social conflicts and reforms, and the Victorian literary and artistic movements.

Where is Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice set?

In the county of Hertfordshire, approximately 50 miles from London.

Why is the opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice considered ironic?

It states that a single man with a good fortune must want a wife, but in reality, it is women who desperately need a rich husband for financial security.

In Pride and Prejudice, why are Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy defined as 'round characters'?

They are capable of introspection, self-knowledge, recognising their errors in judgment, and evolving through experience.

What narrative technique is defined as reproducing a character's thoughts through the voice of a third-person narrator?

Free indirect speech.

What are the exact dates and total duration of Queen Victoria's reign?

From her accession on 20 June 1837 to her death on 22 January 1901, lasting about 63 years and seven months.

What event in 1817 triggered the British royal succession crisis that eventually led to Victoria becoming queen?

Princess Charlotte, the only daughter of the future George IV, died giving birth to a stillborn son.

What was Queen Victoria's birth name, birth date, and birthplace?

Alexandrina Victoria, born on 24 May 1819 at Kensington Palace.

How did Queen Victoria describe the movement for women's suffrage?

She called votes for women a 'mad and wicked folly'.

What was the Kensington 'System' established by Sir John Conroy?

A strict regimen of isolation and constant surveillance designed to control Princess Victoria so her mother and Conroy could seize power if a regency occurred before she turned 18.

What significant departure from royal bridal tradition did Queen Victoria make at her wedding on 10 February 1840?

She wore a white satin court dress instead of traditional royal robes, establishing white as the customary bridal color to show she was marrying as a woman as well as a queen.

What German holiday custom is Prince Albert credited with popularising in English homes?

The decorated Christmas tree.

Who conceived the idea of the Great Exhibition of 1851, and what was its primary goal?

Prince Albert; he envisioned it as an international shop window for British industry and a means to generate employment.

Who designed the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, and what made its structure unique?

Joseph Paxton; it was the first prefabricated building made entirely of iron and glass, containing over 300,000 panes of glass and constructed in only five months.

What sanitary amenity was introduced by George Jennings at the Great Exhibition of 1851?

The first public flush toilets ('Monkey Closets'), used by over 800,000 visitors who paid one penny each.

Which three major London museums were established using the profits from the Great Exhibition of 1851?

The Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum, and the Natural History Museum.

What was the 'Great Stink' of July 1858 in London, and what was its major consequence?

An overwhelming stench from untreated sewage dumped into the River Thames that suspended Parliament; it prompted the construction of London's modern sewer system.

When did Prince Albert die, of what cause, and how did his death affect Queen Victoria's public appearances?

He died of typhoid on 14 December 1861 at age 42; Queen Victoria wore mourning black for the rest of her life and withdrew from public life for approximately 13 years (until 1874).

Which two personal servants provided companionship and emotional support to Queen Victoria during her prolonged mourning?

John Brown (a Highland servant) and Abdul Karim (her Indian servant, known as the 'Munshi', who taught her Urdu).

Under which Prime Minister was Queen Victoria proclaimed Empress of India?

Benjamin Disraeli (approved in 1876, proclaimed in India in 1877).

What military decoration was instituted in 1856 during the Crimean War, and what made it revolutionary?

The Victoria Cross; Queen Victoria insisted that it make no distinction between commissioned officers and privates.

What military exploit made Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Baden-Powell a national hero during the Boer War?

Holding the besieged town of Mafeking with approximately 1,000 men against 8,000 Boers while losing only 35 soldiers.

Where and when did Queen Victoria die?

On 22 January 1901 at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, at the age of 81.

What were the Corn Laws, and why was their abolition in 1846 a victory for the industrial middle class?

They were protectionist tariffs on imported grain that enriched landowners; repealing them lowered food prices, which reduced wage pressures and promoted free trade.

Which 1861 household manual served as the definitive guide to the idealised Victorian 'angel in the house'?

Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.

Under whose name was Harriet Hardy Taylor's feminist treatise The Enfranchisement of Women originally published in 1851?

Under the name of her second husband, John Stuart Mill, in the Westminster Review.

What were the six core political demands of the People's Charter of 1838?

Universal male suffrage over 21, secret ballots, abolition of property qualifications for MPs, salaries for MPs, annual general elections, and equal constituencies.

What was the primary educational outcome of the 1870 Education Act?

School attendance increased from one to four million children, and in 1880 primary education was made compulsory until age ten.

How did Social Darwinism differ from Charles Darwin's scientific theory of evolution?

Darwin scientifically described biological natural selection; thinkers like Herbert Spencer applied 'survival of the fittest' to human societies to justify inequality, capitalism, and imperialism.

Why did Victorian authors frequently publish their novels in serialised instalments?

It made fiction affordable for lower-income readers, created recurring magazine sales, and allowed authors to gauge audience reactions and adjust suspense and subplots.

In which periodical was Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist first published serially in 1837–38?

Bentley's Miscellany.

How did late-Victorian fantastic fiction (such as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and The Picture of Dorian Gray) redefine the concept of evil?

Evil was no longer portrayed as an external force, but as an inherent, repressed part of the individual psyche.

What male pseudonyms did the Brontë sisters (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne) use to publish their works?

Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell.

What political purpose prompted Rudyard Kipling to write his poem The White Man's Burden in 1899?

To encourage the United States to colonise and administer the Philippines.

What are the four distinguishing structural features of a Victorian dramatic monologue?

A single speaker who is not the poet, an implied or silent listener, a specific dramatic setting, and colloquial speech with irregular rhythm.

Why is Tennyson's Ulysses described as an 'over-reacher'?

He refuses a conventional, quiet life in old age and strives to push beyond the accepted limits of human knowledge and experience (the Pillars of Hercules).

What early artistic movement inspired the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood formed by Rossetti, Hunt, and Millais?

Late-medieval and early Italian art before Raphael (especially Giotto), characterised by simplicity of line, luminous color, and spiritual realism.

In William Holman Hunt's painting The Awakening Conscience, what detail symbolizes the predatory nature of the male lover?

A cat playing with an injured bird beneath the piano.

Who posed as the model for John Everett Millais' painting Ophelia?

Elizabeth Siddal, who posed for hours immersed in a bathtub of cooling water.

What core aesthetic principle was formulated by Walter Pater and adopted by Oscar Wilde?

'Art for art's sake' (the belief that art exists purely for beauty and aesthetic pleasure, without moral, didactic, or utilitarian purpose).

How did the Theatres Licensing Act of 1843 transform British theatre?

It broke the monopoly held by Covent Garden and Drury Lane by allowing local authorities to license other theatres, fostering mass entertainment across all classes.

Which American poem by Walt Whitman mourns the death of President Abraham Lincoln?

'O Captain! My Captain!'

Which colonial loanwords entered the English language from India, and what are their original roots?

Pyjamas (Persian: pāë 'foot/leg' + jāmah 'clothing'), bungalow (Hindi banglā, 'house in the Bengal style'), and tank (originally 'cistern for water').

Which English words were borrowed from indigenous American languages during colonial expansion?

Potato (Taino batata), jaguar (Guarani), coyote (Nahuatl), and chocolate (Nahuatl).

Which common English words originated from indigenous Australian and African languages?

From Australian Aboriginal languages: boomerang, kangaroo, koala; from Swahili (Africa): safari, chimpanzee, jumbo.