unseen prose context

the woman question

the debate over the role of women in society. women started to go to university and become professionals (doctors, lawyers). this was only asked with regard to the privileged middle class - not for poor.

rigid hierarchy

lack of social mobility, rigid hierarchy

fin de siècle

the end of the 19th century - way of reflecting on the past century and the changes that had happened.

wanted to abandon old techniques and develop new ones.

Charles Darwin

evolution - challenged foundations of English society by undermining religious teachings and church.

monarchy

monarchy was very important and powerful - Queen Victoria, then Edward 7th from 1902

empire

Britain at its peak of colonial power - biggest empire in history. caused more exotic settings for literature, more foreign people in England, wealth for Britain

Industrial Revolution

factories, mills, railways. led to subjugation and exploitation of the poor. travelled from rural areas to cities for work. intense poverty of the workers, riches for owners

Aestheticism

Oscar Wilde - reverence for art, culture and beauty, "art for art's sake". decadence and luxury through wealth from industrial revolution - only for elite.

transitionary novelists

move from moralising figures which blamed poor women for own misfortunes / being raped. Hardy focused on and created sympathy for poor women

Karl Marx

communist movement - anger of working classes at their exploitation at the hands of the wealthy. worked very hard but reaped none of the reward.

racial prejudice

more races came to Britain from the colonies, racism prevalent

slave trade 16th-19th century

had officially finished, many still kept slaves in plantations in the Caribbean

women workers

the largest group of women workers were in domestic service (servitude).

many in 'sweated industry' - shirt making, nail making and shoe stitching. absence of labour rights - got diseases from chemicals.

upper class women

did not work - would stay at home to look after their children and the home. husbands would provide for the women - decorative.

religion

Darwinism marked a change towards a more secular society. science undermined power of church - but still very powerful. moral obligation to attend church - near compulsory attendance

Victoria's jubilee

her golden jubilee - 50 years. strengthened her reputation, affirmed Britain's place as a global power.

1884 reform act

gave the vote to poor farmers and labourers in the countryside - tripled the electorate and established the principle of "one man, one vote" (males over 25)

Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU)

founded by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1903 - fight for women's suffrage.

Trade Unions / strikes

slow to develop for unskilled workers. series of strikes to improve conditions throughout 1880s.

match girls strike of 1888 and doctor strike of 1889.

Sigmund Freud

first to consider behaviour influenced by subconscious factors

psychological insight in literature

psychological insight to the minds of characters - movement towards 'stream of consciousness' narration - Henry James, Kate Chopin.

gothic genre

being developed - emphasis on extreme psychological state (Bram Stoker)

detective fiction

growth of detective fiction as a genre - Arthur Conan Doyle

eugenics movement

a campaign that sought to improve the quality of humankind through carefully controlled selective breeding. later associated with the Nazis

Boer War

from 1899 to 1902 - British and Dutch colonists competed for control of territory in South Africa

fear of invasion

despite largest military power, due to new technologies, the British feared invasion from France and aliens

end of the world

late Victorian society was struck with anxiety about disease, peculiar weather, industrialisation, pollution, immigration. This manifested as apocalyptic literature.

Imperial gothic

fiction set in the British Empire that employs and adapts elements drawn from Gothic novels such as gloomy, forbidding atmosphere. Mysticism, degeneration, irrationality, barbarism were all words associated with the "other", which came to be deeply feared.

the orient

European scholars influentially defined the 'orient' in stark opposition to the West as mysterious, barbaric, irrational and dangerous

duality of man

Jekyll and hyde - gothic fiction examined the sinister alter ego. London had duality, with respectable streets contrasted with squalor

Jack the Ripper

anonymous killer targeting women in London in 1888.

separate spheres

Nineteenth-century idea in Western societies that men and women, especially of the middle class, should have different roles in society: women as wives, mothers, and homemakers; men as breadwinners and participants in business and politics

the New Woman

A woman of the turn of the 20th century often from the middle class who dressed practically, moved about freely, lived apart from her family, and supported herself

hysteria

Originating from the Greek word for uterus, historically referred to a uniquely female mental disease characterised by anxiety, insomnia, irritability and sexual audacity. There was a commonly held belief that a woman's womb could move around her body.

the deserving poor

Widows, orphans, and the handicapped were worthy of the care of the community

realism

A 19th century artistic movement in which writers and painters sought to show life as it is rather than life as it should be

White Man's Burden

idea that many European countries had a duty to spread their religion and culture to those less civilized

what were the dates of the victorian period?

1832 - 1901

key points about victorian lit?

a period of great social, religious, and intellectual issues

themes: mysticism, spiritualism, supernatural

appealed to a wider audience due to improvements in printing

what were the dates of the edwardian period?

1901 - 1914

key points about edwardian lit?

satirise the inequality inherent in victorian ideas of class and gender, examined societal fears about tech advancements

protagonists looked introspectively on inner workings of society

began to use unreliable narrators and stream of consciousness writing

key points about georgian lit?

echoed ideas of romanticism = penchant for nature

dates of the modern period?

1910 - 1941

key points about modern lit?

rejection of all prior movements = no longer reflected new forms of society

born out of a time of societal upheaval = disillusionment of society and pessimism due to standardised enlightenment ideology

characteristics: multi-perspective / stream of consciousness / interior monologue / subjective language based on perspective

themes: individualism, nihilism, alienation, absurdity

what american literary movements are entailed

american romanticism, american realism/naturalism, modernist period

what important events occurred in 1880 - 1889?

1876 cruelty to animals act

1879 - edison created the incandescent lamp

1880 education act - education compulsory for children 5-10

1882 england married women's property act - married women gained the right to own and retain their own property

1884 3rd reform act - gave 60% men the right to vote in elections

1885 - redistribution of seats act - boundaries to make electoral districts equal

what important events occurred in 1890 - 1899?

1893 panic - economic depression in the us spanning over 4 years

1894 new woman - the term was coined by writer and publicist sarah grand, provided new perspective of women

1897 - establishment of nuwss by milicent fawcett

what important events occurred during 1900 - 1910?

1903 - establishment of women's social and political union (emmeline and christabel pankhurst)

1907 - women's suffrage bill was rejected

1908 - asquith elected as pm = opposed female suffrage

when was the repeal of the contagious disease act?

1880's - prohibited examinations on women = decreased demonisation of women over their sexuality

what is important about the 3rd reform act?

proposed 100,000 women to get the vote = rejected by gladstone

aspects of a gothic novel?

supernatural, tragic characters, remote locations, abnormalities, a fear of the other

the uncanny?

a psychological experience of something as mysterious and creepy yet in an often strangely familiar way

developer of uncanny principle

freud

freud's theory of repression?

humans repress painful or unacceptable memories to protect their self-concept and minimize anxiety

the new woman?

a feminist ideal that emerged in the late 19th century. they resisted traditional controls and sought to fill a complete role in the world

the angel of the house?

popular victorian image of the ideal woman, submissive to her husband while upholding chastity and purity

what is the madonna wh0re complex?

a theory stated by freud in the early 1900's in which men either viewed women as saintly madonnas or debased whores based on their sexuality

what were men praised for in the victorian period?

their unfaithful disposition while women were ostracised for any sort of that behaviour or temptation

what is the woman question?

the debates about women's position and role in society

what is the fallen woman?

a woman that transgressed victorian sexual norms, lost her innocence and fallen from the grace of god

what is pater familias?

a concept entrenched in british culture in which the husband was the heads and moral leader of the family while womens proper role was to submit to his rule

what was the rest cure?

a strictly enforced regime in which women were forced into months of bed rest and isolation without stimulation for defiance or in relation to mental health

what is hedonism?

maximising your own pleasure over everyone else's

subsequent to american civil war (1861 - 1865), what did literature shift to?

realism, conveys the reality of life and the evident changes depicted in society

characteristics of american literature

- emphasis on reality

- detailed characterisation

- class and status

- diction

- plausible events

what is naturalism?

focuses on the grim aspects of life where man struggles to adapt to an indifferent and hostile environment

what was the harlem renaissance?

african americans began to migrate upwards to places, such as harlem, and took their culture in an attempt to evade the jim crow laws

when were the jim crow laws passed?

1877

what did jim crow laws do?

enforced racial segregation in the south without defying the 14th amendment / 'separate but equal'

why was slavery important to the south?

cotton became the south's most important crop. after the invention of the cotton gin, cotton became easier to produce and there was a high demand for it. panation owners made a lot of money

what are black codes?

restrictive laws designed to limit the freedom of african americans and ensure their availability as a cheap labor force after slavery was abolished during the civil war

what are the 3 types of narrator?

- homodiegetic

- heterodiegetic

- autodiegetic

what is a homodiegetic narrator?

a narrator who is also a a character in the story

what is a heterodiegetic narrator?

a narrator that is not a character in the story (omniscient)

what is an autodiegetic narrator?

a narrator who is also the protagonist of the story

what are mono-dimensional characters?

They have little character development and are often reduced to tropes or stereotypes

what are multi-dimensional characters?

undergo development of character and possess more complex emotions and personalities

Major social and economic changes in England

Rapid industrialization and urbanization led to the expansion of cities and a growing urban working class. Many people moved from rural areas to urban centers in search of work.

Technological advancements contributing to industrialization

The widespread adoption of the steam engine and the expansion of the railway network facilitated rapid transportation of goods and people, fueling industrial growth.

Working conditions for the urban working class

Many workers lived in poverty, endured long hours, and faced dangerous and unhealthy conditions, while wealth remained concentrated among industrialists and landowners.

Class tensions

The rise of a large working class led to increased demands for better wages, working conditions, and voting rights, resulting in the growth of trade unions and labor movements.

Political changes

The Liberal Party was dominant, but the Labour Party was established in 1906 as a socialist alternative. The Women's Suffrage movement gained momentum, and Irish Home Rule became a major issue.

Cultural movements

The Arts and Crafts movement, the Pre-Raphaelite movement, and the Decadent movement flourished. However, industrialization and urbanization also led to a growing sense of cultural anxiety over changing values and traditions.

Prominent Writers (1880-1910)

Key literary figures of this period

Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, Joseph Conrad, George Bernard Shaw, Rudyard Kipling, Henry James, E.M. Forster, Bram Stoker, W.B. Yeats, Thomas Hardy, James Barrie, Kate Chopin, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson.

Timeline of Key Events

Major political and social events (1880-1910)

1882

1884

Third Reform Act expands voting rights to more working-class men.

1886

Haymarket Riot in Chicago influences labor movements in England.

1888

Jack the Ripper murders highlight poverty and crime in London’s East End.

1889

London Dock Strike demands better wages and working conditions.

1890

William Morris founds the Socialist League in London.

1891

Independent Labour Party is formed.

1895

Oscar Wilde is imprisoned for homosexuality.

1900

Formation of the Labour Representation Committee (later the Labour Party).

1902

Education Act establishes free and compulsory education for all children.

1903

Wright brothers achieve first successful flight.

1906

Formation of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).

1910

The People’s Budget proposes social welfare programs.

Psychology (1880-1910)

Key developments in psychology

1887

1892

British Psychological Society is established.

1896

Freud delivers his famous lecture The Aetiology of Hysteria.