Social History –

London
Christy L., Dallas S., Tina S.
 Purpose
By understanding the setting,
we can better understand the
books.
 The Bad and the Ugly
“…A large portion of Victorian literature set in the
city paints an unflattering picture of the urban
setting.”
In Dickens’ Great Expectations, when Pip first sees
London: “The shameful place,” Pip says, describing
Smithfield, “being all asmear with filth and fat and
blood and foam seemed to stick to me.”
(Smithfield was an inner city meat market that killed
cattle on site, and was later shut down for its
unsanitary behaviors.)
 The Bad and the Ugly
The Industrial Revolution and an increase in
population were the key driving forces behind
London’s urban growth and it’s urban issues:
Overcrowding
Pollution
Ineffective governance
Prostitution
Disease
 The Bad and the Ugly
“…The tumultuous crowd of individuals appears as a
dull mass…”
In the mid-1800s, balloon flights over the city became
popular because it allowed citizens to momentarily
escape from the urban issues only viewed from up close,
and instead view the city in its grandness.

Fast Fact: “In 1742 London had one gin-shop for every
seventy-five inhabitants.”
 The Good
“London was…also Britain's artistic and literary
capital…With its publishers, newspapers, journals
and weeklies…the city played an important (and
frequently crucial) role in the life, development,
and work of…every English literary figure of any
significance. Hogarth and Rowlandson portrayed it
in their work as the great eighteenth-century
authors did in theirs.”
 London
attracts people
who are…
Self-dependent
From small town to big city, friends and family
aren’t there to support you anymore

Fast living
The pace of life in London was much quicker
than anywhere else

Wealthy
London attracts chiefly the richer families
Business is more lucrative
 Conclusion
London was a dirty, diseased, overly populated
child that grew up during the Victorian Era. Many
good things did come out of this time period
amongst all the bad. And it took many years to
develop into the cleaner and safer metropolis that
we know today.