A History of Literature
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
Charles Dickens is perhaps
one of the most well known
writers of this period.
Alongside A Christmas
Carol, he also wrote
classics such as Great
Expectations and Oliver
Twist. In writing A
Christmas Carol, Dickens
hoped that the lessons it
teaches would be
remembered throughout
the year and for years to
come. It illustrates the vast
differences between the
rich and poor in Victorian
1843 society.
The three Brontë sisters (Emily,
Charlotte and Anne) became
interested in writing from an early age
and would often write collaboratively.
Because of the time in which they
1847
were writing, the women struggled to
find a publisher and were originally
published under the names Currer,
Reader, I married him.
Ellis and Acton Bell. Their stories have
transcended time and their themes
are still relevant today as shown by
singer Kate Bush, in 1986, releasing
her debut single, Wuthering Heights,
after being inspired by the novel and a
TV adaptation.
#ENT01: To develop understanding of the term 'enterprise', and how the
entrepreneurial process can be applied to a variety of contexts.
All of Dickens' major novels were published serially, in monthly (or weekly) instalments. A full length novel was out of the price
range of most of his readers but a monthly instalment could be sold for a shilling. Dickens wrote each instalment with this type of
publication in mind so many of the instalments ended with a hook that kept the readers glued to the edge of their Victorian seats
wondering what would happen next, thus ensuring the sales of the next instalment.
The Victorian Era
questions the traditional roles of
men and women in 19th century
marriage. Because of this, it was
considered quite scandalous when
first performed in 1879. It became a
voice for women’s rights issues as it
demonstrated the challenges
women face in a male-orientated
world. More broadly, Ibsen
questioned the role of an individual
within a strictly hierarchical society.
HELMER: But this is disgraceful. Is this the way you
neglect your most sacred duties?
NORA: What do you consider is my most sacred duty?
HELMER: Do I have to tell you that? Isn’t it your duty
1879 to your husband and children?
NORA: I have another duty, just as scared.
HELMER: You can’t have. What duty do you mean?
NORA: My duty to myself.
Born in Jamaica, Mary Seacole was admired
for her work as a nurse during the Crimean
War. Her zest for travel, adventure and
independence made her very un-Victorian.
Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in
Many Lands is her memoir of her experiences
told with warmth and humour which offers
insight into her accomplishments.
Mary Seacole’s was the first autobiography by a
Black woman to be published in the UK. She is
one of the key figures in John Agard's poem
Checking Out Me History.
1857
The rise in recognition of female writers developed in this period. Lucy Stone (1818-1893), a feminist and North American 19th-
century Black activist, noted, ‘Whatever the reason, the idea was born that women could and should be educated. It lifted a
mountain load from women. It shattered the idea, everywhere pervasive as the atmosphere, that women were incapable of
1832 - 1901
1886 When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the character of Sherlock Holmes, London
was in disarray due to high levels of crime and criminals like Jack the Ripper
evading the police. Victorians immediately fell for the fictional character, as they
Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but liked the fact that he cracked every case and always defeated evil! He became the
go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private perfect detective, although in Doyle's stories Holmes was actually a private
pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm. detective, not a member of the London Police force.
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is now one
of the iconic texts of Gothic Literature. The central
idea of the book, that one man may have a ‘Jekyll
When Doyle tried to kill off his
and Hyde’ personality, a separation of distinct
famous character in 1893, there
social and moral traits, seemed to say something
was a public outcry and Doyle
about the strain between private and public self,
received death threats warning
personal desire and social duty, that spoke not just
him to keep Holmes alive!
to middle-class professional men of late Victorian
English society but to people around the world.
Alongside this, Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel was
responding to contemporary psychology as
doctors started to explore the concept of multiple
personalities in the late 1880s. 1891
1890 Oscar Wilde is most known for his novel The
Picture of Dorian Gray and a number of comical
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
plays including The Importance of Being Earnest.
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
1895
I never travel without my
Emily Dickinson spent most of her life living in self-imposed seclusion in her family
home in Amherst, Massachusetts. While Dickinson was a prolific writer, her only
diary. One should always have
publications during her lifetime were 10 of her nearly 1,800 poems, and one letter.
Her poems — many of which deal with themes of death, immortality, nature, and
something sensational to read
spirituality — first appeared in print in 1890 and were not published in full until
1955, a long time after her death in 1886.
on the train.
St Christopher's 6 Cs:
Courage
education, and would be less womanly, less desirable in every way, if they had it.’