The Industrial Revolution and Social Reforms in 19th Century England, Sintesi del corso di Inglese

Scarica The Industrial Revolution and Social Reforms in 19th Century England e più Sintesi del corso in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! The Chartist Movement and the Reform Bills- QUEEN VICTORIA came to the throne during a difficult political and economic period. Her SENSE OF DUTY made her the ideal head of a constitutional monarchy. She provided her country with STABILITY. The middle class had been partly satisfied by the REFORM BILL of 1832, but the working class still endured very poor conditions. Workers' meetings and demonstrations were common as in the rest of Europe-> the CHARTISTS, they asked for a charter of social reforms. In 1833 THE FACTORY ACT-> prevented children from being employed more than 48 hours a week. In 1834 the POOR LAW AMENDAMENT ACT-> workhouses became a deterrent against poverty. In 1838 they drew up a PEOPLE'S CHARTER asking for the extension of the right to vote to the working class. In 1846 the ABOLITION OF THE CORN LAWS In 1867 that a SECOND REFORM BILL was passed-> TOWN WORKERS the right to VOTE, but still excluded miners and agricultural workers. In 1872 the BALLOT ACT-> introduction of the secret ballot In 1884 THIRD REFORM BILL finally granted franchise-> SUFFRAGE was extended to all MALE workers. Free trade and the Great Exhibition- Protectionism was abandoned and after 1846 FREE TRADE was adopted. England did not have the armed revolutions that broke out all over Europe in 1848. A large Chartist demonstration in London seemed to threaten revolution. In 1851 the Great International Exhibition of London (Queen Victoria and Prince Albert), displayed the wonders of INDUSTRY and SCIENCE-> Britain as the world's leading political and economic power to an admiring world. Industry and science- The TRIUMPH OF INDUSTRY coincided with the invention of the STEAM LOCOMOTIVE. Railways developed quickly too-> 1848 covered much of the country. By 1849 REGULAR STEAMBOAT SERVICES linked Britain with America and the rest of the. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH was applied to the invention and construction of machines. The study of ELECTRICITY (Alessandro Volta, Michael Faraday and Louis Ampère) led to the American Samuel Morse's invention of the TELEGRAPH. GAS LIGHTING in city streets was first introduced in London in 1816. The poor: urban slums- The new POOR LAW of 1834 was far from being a solution to the problem- > the poor, orphans, physically and mentally sick, disabled, elderly and unmarried mothers were amassed in WORKHOUSES (resembled jails), and conditions were frightful. The government made sure that PEOPLE FEARED THE WORKHOUSE and would do anything to keep out of it. Workhouses were designed to separate groups: ‒ FAMILIES were SPLIT UP; ‒ people in the SAME FAMILY COULD MEET during meals or in the chapel but they were NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK to each other; ‒ all MEALS were taken in SILENCE; ‒ the official diets were so meager that they were described as a SLOW PROCESS OF STARVATION. In the large cities, URBAN SLUMS became synonymous with the Industrial Revolution. The miserable conditions are evidenced by different sources such as contemporary newspaper reports, essays, novels, paintings and engravings. Social reforms- The most important were: AN AGE OF INDUSTRY AND REFORMS ‒ THE MINES ACT (1862)= forbidding the employment of women and children in mines ‒ THE EMANCIPATION OF RELIGIOUS SECTS (1871)= allowed Catholics to hold government jobs and to enter the universities of Oxford and Cambridge ‒ THE TRADE UNION ACT (1875)= legalized the activities of the unions of workers. The unions-> important role in the internal policy. The new political parties- Two modern parties: ‒ CONSERVATIVES grew out of the old Tories ‒ LIBERALS out of the Whigs POWER was REGULAR, with great prime ministers emerging from each. The growth in political importance of the WORKING CLASS was marked by the foundation of the LABOUR PARTY in 1900. The Irish question- Relations with Ireland had always been DIFFICULT but they worsened during Victoria's reign-> the POTATO BLIGHT of 1845, economic and people's diet were based on POTATOES, when the crops failed the EMIGRATION to the United States or to England was the only solution. A movement for IRISH INDEPENDENCE began led by Charles S. Parnell-> who asked for HOME RULE (self-government) for Ireland. He convinced Prime Minister Gladstone to present the Irish Home Rule Bill in the Houses of Parliament-> REJECTED. European policy- Britain's European policy (1830-1851) was shaped by the LIBERAL LORD PALMERSTON. He was convinced that BRITISH INTERESTS (political liberalism and free trade) were OPPOSED to those of European monarchies such as AUSTRIA and RUSSIA (absolutist and protectionist). Britain therefore set herself at the head of the liberal forces in Europe. CRIMEAN WAR (1854-56) between Turkey and Russia over their border. Britain and France sided with Turkey, and RUSSIA was finally DEFEATED. FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE went to the Crimea to organize HOSPITALS and to relieve the soldiers' sufferings. Her work had a great influence on the foundation of the RED CROSS in Geneva in 1864. Colonial policy: Australia, New Zealand and Canada- the British Empire greatly EXPANDED. Two processes: ‒ Australia= penal colony for population ‒ New Zealand= cattle and sheep raising. CANADA, part of which was already occupied by the French. Colonial policy: India and Africa- The British government took over from the East India Company and ruled directly over India. In 1876 Queen Victoria became EMPRESS OF INDIA. In AFRICA the British occupied UGANDA, KENYA, RHODESIA, and the NIGER territories. They also obtained the majority of the shares of the SUEZ CANAL-> important for commerce. In the colony of the CAPE OF GOOD HOPE the relations between the Dutch colonists and the British were never good. The BOER WAR (1899 1902) was won by Britain. The celebration of the Empire- The last part of the Victorian Age seems one of prosperity and splendour. VICTORIA'S GOLDEN AND DIAMOND JUBILEES in 1887-1897, were occasions for the display of Britain's commercial and financial greatness. THE BRITISH EMPIRE THE AMERICAN FRONTIER The divided self- ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”-> on a first level reads like a HORROR STORY which owes something to the GOTHIC TRADITION. It is about the TRANSFORMATION of the respected DR JEKYLL into the MONSTROUS AND BRUTAL MR HYDE. On a SECOND and DEEPER level the book casts serious doubts on HUMAN NATURE AND PROGRESS: ‒ man is in part inherently bad ‒ science cannot hope to separate the good from the bad artificially STRIKES at the core of the VICTORIAN COMPROMISE, and the fundamental duplicity of the age's moral standards. Dramatic monologue by Robert Browning Poetry of sensual dreaming by Alfred Tennyson The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood- mysticism and spiritual values by DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI, CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI, WILLIAM MORRIS and ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE The Aesthetic Movement by WALTER PATER and OSCAR WILDE (leader of the Aesthetic Movement) Modern drama by OSCAR WILDE and GEORGE BERNARD SHAW The new comedy of manners- “The importance of being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde. It was popular for it wit and SPARKLING DIALOGUE above all and situations expose the SUPERFICIALITY of the English upper and the technique of CONTRARIES Life and early works- Portsmouth in 1812, when he was ten the family moved to LONDON and there he was given REGULAR SCHOOLING until 1824-> his father was sent to prison for DEBT. At the age of 12 Charles was forced to go to WORK in a FACTORY, where he STUCK LABELS on bottles of shoe-polish. The experience was TRAUMATIC-> remained in his mind and profoundly INFLUENCED his novels. At the age of 14 he went to work as a CLERK in a legal office-> contempt for LAWYERS and the LAW as an institution. He also wrote for the COMIC NEWSPAPERS and entered SERIOUS JOURNALISM. This enabled him to meet a WIDE RANGE of people and to understand the feelings and reactions of his readers. He adopted the pen name of BOZ' -> 1836 two series of “SKETCHES BY BOZ”= short ARTICLES describing London people and scenes, were published in instalments and proved immensely POPULAR. This success led to “The Pickwick Papers”, his first novel, relating the ADVENTURES of a GROUP of eccentric people travelling on the English roads-> where the COMIC and PICARESQUE elements are MIXED (1836-1837), and made Dickens famous in Britain and the United States. His life was cut short by a stroke in 1870. Themes of Dicken's novels- social injustice, political incompetence, the poverty and suffering of the masses, and the class conflicts of Victorian England. The result was an increasingly CRITICAL ATTITUDE towards contemporary society: ‒ “OLIVER TWIST”= recounts the sufferings of an ORPHAN brought up in a WORKHOUSE who runs away to London and JOINS A GANG of thieves made up of children. ‒ “NICHOLAS NICKLEBY” and “MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT”= he ATTACKS cruelty in BOARDING SCHOOLS ‒ “HARD TIMES”= he deals with the sufferings of the FACTORY SYSTEM and the harm done by the UTILITARIAN PHILOSOPHY. VICTORIAN POETRY VICTORIAN DRAMA CHARLES DICKENS In the 1840, Dickens wrote a series of NOVELS which were more CAREFULLY PLOTTED and organized more COHERENTLY around a SINGLE THEME or closely RELATED THEMES: ‒ “DOMBEY AND SON”= about the FAILURE of a RICH and HEARTLESS London MERCHANT, is an open Attack on some of the worst aspects of Victorian society, such as its love of money and its lack of disinterested affections. ‒ “BLEAK HOUSE”= COMPLEX WORK, involving different themes. At the CENTRE of the book is an ATTACK on the COURT OF CHANCERY and on how the delays and complications of the LAW may DESTROY the lives of the COMMON PEOPLE. Dickens also turned to semi-autobiographical themes: ‒ “DAVID COPPERFIELD” =masterpiece and mostly AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, it is one of the greatest PORTRAITS in English literature of the LOVES, PAINS and WONDERS of childhood. ‒ “GREAT EXPECTATIONS”= WELL-ORGANIZED novel, again on the theme of GROWING Up the kind of novel generally called a BILDUNGSROMAN. It also deals with the social themes of pride and snobbery. Settings of his novels- variety of settings: ‒ the countryside ‒ merry old England ‒ the provincial towns ‒ the industrial settlements of the North Most typical setting is LONDON-> the VAST, CROWDED city where different CLASSES and SOCIAL GROUPS live alongside each other and yet do not communicate. Characters and plots- lively unforgettable characters: ‒ Eccentrics ‒ Vagabonds ‒ criminals ‒ orphans He portrays a VIVID PICTURE of Victorian England. His characters are mainly from the LOWER and MIDDLE classes and are captured by Dickens. UPPER class and ARISTOCRATIC characters are not portrayed as well and tend to fall into STEREOTYPES. They are too easily DIVIDED into good and bad. As for the PLOTS of his novels, they involve MANY CHARACTERS, many PARALLEL STORIES, PLOT and SUB-PLOTS, INTRIGUE, often MYSTERY, and INCREDIBLE coincidences. Themes- FAMILY, CHILDHOOD, and POVERTY. Dickens’s CHILDREN are INNOCENT or CORRUPTED BY ADULT. Most of there children begin in NEGATIVE CIRCUMSTANCES and rise to HAPPY ENDINGS which resolve the CONTRADICTIONS in their lives created by the ADULT WORLD Dicken's style- He is also very good at mixing SOCIAL CRITICISM with lively portraits of universal characters-combining the PATHETIC WITH THE COMIC. His ability to create DIALOGUE. The main strength of Dickens' style is his HUMOUR-> strong points of his novels UNFORGETTABLE, MELODRAMATIC or OPENLY DIDACTIC PASSAGES. The novelist's reputation- Dickens is the most popular English novelist, influenced many of his contemporaries and successors, even abroad. Contemporary critics now tend to see his works as combining SOCIAL REALISM with the poetical devices of metaphor and SYMBOLISM. This is Dickens' most INTERNATIONALLY famous novel. It came out in instalments and tells the adventures of an ORPHAN who manages to preserve his almost angelic character despite a very HARD LIFE. Oliver Twist is a perfect example of the best qualities of Dickens' art because the novelist combines the SENTIMENTAL, MELODRAMATIC story of an orphan child exploited by a GANG of thieves So he writes about DIFFERENT THEMES: - the NEW POOR LAW which assigned poor people to workhouses in which living conditions resembled those of a prison. - Dickens is also very good at mixing SOCIAL CRITICISM with lively portraits of universal characters The story- Oliver is a FOUNDLING. When he is nine years old, he is taken back to the WORKHOUSE in which he was born, where he lives a MISERABLE LIFE, is underfed and receives no education. He then runs away and meets a young PICKPOCKET on the road. Oliver thinks he has found a FRIEND and follows him to London where he is introduced to other 'friends', who say they will give him food and lodging. The new friends turn out to be a GANG of young CRIMINALS led by FAGIN, an old Jew who is one of Dickens' best characterizations. The thieves force Oliver to help them in their CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES. Oliver is temporarily RESCUED by Mr Brownlow (benevolent gentleman), but some members of the GANG KIDNAP the boy. After many INCIDENTS, some involving a MYSTERIOUS CHARACTER called Monks-> reminiscent of the DARK HERO of Gothic tales. The gang is caught by the police and Oliver is discovered to be a relation of Mr Brownlow's. He has finally found a FAMILY. Oliver Twist is a FRIGHTENED, WEAK, DELICATE child brought up in a house for foundlings (orphans) under the leadership of Mrs Mann-> cruel to the children she is supposed to look after. On Oliver's ninth birthday Mr Bumble (parish officer) comes to the house where Oliver lives with other children. MR BUMBLE is described as a POMPOUS MAN with an EXAGGERATED and HYPOCRITICAL SENSE of his own importance and of the mission which the workhouse authorities accomplish in providing for the orphans. The passage is rich in dialogue and characterization and gives a full portrait of Mrs Mann's shrewdness and of Mr Bumble's superficiality and dullness. Hard Times is set in COKETOWN-> industrial city in the north of England. The novel is built around two issues: ‒ the INHUMANITY of the factory system ‒ the application to school programmes of the principles of the UTILITARIAN PHILOSOPHY The UTILITARIAN TEACHING METHOD is presented in the passage below through lively and convincing characters: ‒ MR GRADGRIND, the teacher who is all for facts and figures against feeling and good sense ‒ SISSY AND BITZER the couple of students in his class The scene is full of MOMENTS which are both NATURALISTIC and highly SYMBOLICAL, as in the LOSS OF IDENTITY involved in the change of Sissy's name to CECILIA. OLIVER TWIST HARD TIMES