N.B. For successful completion of this project, be sure to carefully read through all of the information
contained in this research packet.
As part of our study of Great Expectations, Wuthering Heights, and Victorian literature, you will be researching and giving a presentation on an aspect of Victorian life. Your goal is to become the local
“expert” on your assigned topic and to teach your classmates everything you know about that aspect of
Victorian life in 10-12 minutes! Two (or three) of you will each be assigned to one of the following topics.
1.
The Victorians: Who Are These People? – A Social History
2.
Victorian London, the Thames, and the Great Stink
3.
The Major Victorian Authors, Genres, and Themes – A Literary History
4.
Victorian Theatre and Popular Entertainment
5.
The Major Victorian Poets
6.
Victorian Newspapers, Journals, Ads, and Serial Fiction
7.
Victorian Children, Childhood, and Children’s Literature
8.
Victorian Visual Arts – Architecture, Painting, Sculpture, and Design
9.
Victorian Technology and the Industrial Revolution
10.
Victorian Crime, Punishment, and the Criminal Classes
Each pair/group is responsible for the following as part of the project:
- An oral presentation around 10-12 minutes in length
- A visual (illustrated) PowerPoint that will be used in coordination with the oral presentation
- A written report that will be printed out and handed in on the day of the presentation
- Works Cited: Bibliography of sources – use MLA format. Minimum of 5 sources required.
Due Date: ____________________ (write in the date here)
Grades will be based on effort, research, creativity, and overall quality of the final presentation – oral,
written, and visual. 200 points per group member!
Criteria By Topic: The written, oral, and visual parts of your presentation should address the following aspects of your issue. You must make sure that you answer/address all questions posed in your category.
Be sure to read through the other topic criteria to make sure that your material does not overlap.
1. Victorian Life and Labor – A Social History
For much of the last century the term Victorian, which literally describes things and events in the reign of
Queen Victoria (1837-1901), conveyed connotations of “prudish," "repressed," and "old fashioned."
Although such associations have some basis in fact, they do not adequately indicate the nature of this complex, paradoxical age that was a second English Renaissance. This first topic is intended to give an overview of the beliefs, morals, likes, occupations, past-times, and general interests of the Victorians. We want to know who these people really were. Where did they live, work, and play? What were their living
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conditions like? What was daily life like for a man or woman in the city? In the country? On the farm? In the factory? What was the relationship between the rich and poor – working class, servant class, and upper class? What was a “Victorian gentleman”? What were some of their unique words and expressions? What is Victorian rhyme slang (i.e., cockney)? What did they wear?
2. Victorian London, the Thames, and the Great Stink
London was the major center of the Victorian era – for politics, religion, culture, fashion, literature, etc. During this era Britain’s capital city grew astronomically due to the shift from an agrarian (farm-based) society to an industrial society. The population surged during the 19th century, from about
1 million in 1800 to over 6 million a century later. How did this growth affect
London? How did it affect living conditions? Who were the Londoners of the
19 th century? Where did they come from? Why did they go there? What were some of the unique aspects of London neighborhoods such as Cheapside,
Soho, the City, Little Britain, Whitechapel, Westminster, etc.? What are some of the major London landmarks and monuments famous or made famous during the 19 th century? How is London portrayed by Dickens and other authors? What is London fog? Where did all the raw sewage go? What role did the River Thames have to play? What was the “Great Stink”?
3. The Major Victorian Authors, Genres, and Themes
The Victorian era has been likened to a second English Renaissance, especially when it comes to the literary output of British authors. Arguably no other century produced more great English literature than the 19 th century. How were Victorian authors, generally speaking, different than their predecessors of the
Romantic era? What are some of the most common themes, motifs, and concerns of Victorian literature?
What are the main characteristics of the following popular modes of writing during the Victorian era: allegory, fantasy, the grotesque, Gothic, melodrama, realism, and detective fiction? (Focus strictly on fiction – not poetry or drama). Who were Thomas Hardy, George Elliot, Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur
Conan Doyle, William Thackeray, and Willkie Collins? Give a brief overview of their contributions to literature. (We will have already discussed Dickens and Bronte, so no need to return to them.)
4. Victorian Theatre and Popular Entertainment
The 19 th century saw changes in many areas in the realm of pleasure and pastimes, including the newly commercialized theater. With new developments in lighting, acting, costumes, set design and other visuals, and the rowdy lower-middle class audience in expansive playhouses, many argue that it is little wonder that the Victorian era “produced so much delightful theater” and amusement for a new market of workers. What were Victorian theatres like – what did they look like?
How were they arranged? What types of shows were produced? What was the audience like? Was there a lot of heckling (as suggested in Great
Expectations)? What were some of the most well-known theaters?
Where were they located? What was burlesque? What was farce? Who were Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw? What themes did they develop in their plays? Who were “Gilbert and Sullivan”? What genre of theater entertainment did they produce? What were some of the other popular amusements for the common street folk? What were organ grinders? magic lantern shows? Punch and Judy?
5. The Major Victorian Poets
The Victorian era was an important period in the history of poetry, providing the link between the
Romantic movement and the modernist movement of the 20 th century. How were Victorian poets influenced by Romantic poets such as Keats, William Blake, Shelley and Wordsworth? In what ways did much of Victorian poetry differ from the works of the Romantic poets? Who were Matthew Arnold,
Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Christina Rossetti, and Alfred, Lord
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Tennyson? Give a brief overview of their poetic concerns and themes. How did they regard classical and medieval literature? What were some of their other influences? What forms did their poetry take?
6. Victorian Newspapers, Journals, Ads, and Serial Fiction
The most popular form of reading during the Victorian era (like today) was periodical literature – daily newspapers, weekly and monthly magazines, and journals. Since the
Victorian era predates other forms of popular media such as radio, TV, and the internet, periodical literature was very important in the life of the Victorians – they relied on it for news, education, and entertainment. Since it was abundant and cheap it all appealed to the common masses. What were broadsides? Where and how were they sold? What kind of news was of particular interest to the reading public? What is sensationalism? Introduce us to All the Year Round, The
Illustrated London News, and Punch. What was the focus of each of these three periodicals? What was the role of satire in periodicals? What aspects of society were satirized? What were serials? How did they work? How did they affect the production and plots of novels (like those written by Dickens)? What were “penny dreadfuls”?
7. Victorian Children, Childhood, and Children’s Literature
From a close reading of the first volume of Great Expectations, you can get a pretty good idea of how children were treated and abused during Victorian times. Most children led rough lives, were orphaned early, and even formed part of the outcast street society of cities like London. At the same time, the
Victorian era produced a huge amount of popular children’s literature – books, stories, and verse about children and for children. What was life like for children in the city? In the country? On the streets? In orphanages? What was school like? What was a “ragged school”? What were the major themes of
Victorian children’s literature? What were the roles of nursery rhymes, fables, fairy tales, and limericks?
Give some popular examples of each genre. What is the adventure novel? the boarding school novel?
What are cautionary tales? Who are Lewis Carroll, J.M. Barie, Charles Kingsley, Rudyard Kippling, and
Andrew Lang? What were their contributions to children’s literature?
8. Victorian Visual Arts – Architecture, Painting, Sculpture, and Design
The Victorians had a distinct approach to the visual arts during the 19 th century. One important aspect was the illustration of books. This is the first era where illustrations played a major role in publication of books, magazines, pamphlets, and newspapers. How were these illustrations produced? What media were used (e.g., woodblock engraving)? What were the major characteristics of painting, drawing, sculpture, and design during the era?
What was the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood? What is Victorian architecture? What are its influences, characteristics? What is the Gothic revival? What are characteristics of Victorian Gothic architecture? What were the major landmarks and buildings constructed in the era? (Be sure to mention the Palace of
Westminster/Houses of Parliament). Who were A.W. Pugin, William Holman Hunt,
John Ruskin, Charles Rennie Mackintosh? What were their major contributions to the arts?
9. Victorian Technology and the Effects of the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution changed the way people lived and worked during the course of the 19 th century. What were those changes? What were the effects of industrialization? Just how polluted did the air and water become? Three major technological developments during this time were steel, the steam engine, and the railway system. Give us some explanation of how these were used and how they changed society. When was London’s Underground (subways) built, how did it function, and how did it change the way Londoner’s lived? What were the railways like? The train stations? What was the spinning Jenny? the Bobbin-net
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machine? the stocking frame? the punch loom? What is the telegraph? Stereoscope? Who was James
Watt? Charles Wheatstone? Joseph Paxton? What were their major contributions?
10. Victorian Crime, Punishment, and the Criminal Classes
The Victorian period saw great changes in how criminals were caught, arrested, and charged to appear in court. The modern “police force” did not exist in Britain until 1856. Before then, most places had only an unpaid parish constable to keep order. What were criminals typically arrested for? How were they treated in jails and in the court system? What form of capital punishment was used? What crimes were considered capital offenses? What is “garroting”? Describe the Victorian “criminal classes.” What are bobbies and peelers? What is Scotland Yard? Old Bailey? Newgate? How was crime and punishment depicted in Victorian literature? Who was Jack the Ripper? And what did he do? How did his crimes affect how Londoners viewed the “streets”?
All three components of this research project work together.
I.
ORAL: The oral presentation should:
be around 10-12 minutes in length
be accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation or equivalent (see below)
be educational, interesting and informative
be well-organized (Hint: follow an outline format)
give an overview of all major points on your topic
address or answer the questions posed in the assignment packet (above)
be delivered live (no audio or video taping) by one or more team members
II.
VISUAL: The PowerPoint presentation should:
be prepared to be viewed on the classroom movie screen
include at least ten slides (Note: you may use online images without copyright infringement under “fair use” policy for educational purposes).
be directly related to the oral presentation; illustrate what you’re talking about
use minimal text; stick to using captions, titles, and brief notes (we do not want to just read your oral presentation on PowerPoint slides!)
make use of historical documents such as advertisements, maps, photographs, graphics, etc.
III.
IV.
WRITTEN: The written report should:
reflect what is presented orally
be typed and printed out
be given to me on the day you give your presentation
be approximately 3 pages double-spaced, following MLA format.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: “Works Cited” should:
indicated what materials, websites, books, etc. you consulted
be typed out at the end of the written report
be organized in the MLA format (see Purdue Online Writing Lab )*
NOT include Wikipedia, Cliff Notes, Spark Notes, or other study aids
NOTE: you should make use of the recommended web resources
* For an example of how to cite sources from the web, see the citations page from Victoria Web. To see how you will be graded on this project, refer to the accompanying Victorian Presentation Rubric Sheet.
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