The Realistic Novel in the Victorian Era

The Realistic Novel in the Victorian Era

History of Realistic Victorian Novels

The Realistic Novel and its Formation
The Rise of the Novel
Evolution of the Victorian Novel
Criticisms of Realism
Characteristics of the Realistic Victorian Novel
Realism
Representational vs. Revelation Theories and the Importance of the Word “Idea“
Narratives and Suspense
The End of Realism
Popularity of the Realistic Victorian Novel
Newspapers, Press, Publishing
Education and Literacy
Feminist Rise in Victorian Novels
Some popular realistic authors and their works
Neo-Victorianism: The Revival of the Realistic Victorian Novel
Contemporary Authors/Their Works
References
History of Realistic Victorian Novels
The Realistic Novel and its Formation
The realistic novel was quite different than what has been seen with earlier literature. The most popular
form of literature had always been poetry. The realistic novel changed that. This form of literature used
journalistic techniques in order to make the literature something closer to real life with facts and
general stereotypes of human nature. The attention to detail was made to just report the facts, not
commenting or judging on the scene or character.

The novels were about the common man, which also happened to be the struggles of the lower class.
These struggles usually included a lower class citizen trying to gain upward mobility. Thus, a subgenre
called Social Realism was born. One of the most popular novels of this time is in the Social Realism
genre. In Charles Dickens Great Expectations, the novel goes through a boy named Pip’s life, as he
unexpectedly comes into money and is asked to become a gentleman. The novel follows Pip’s struggles,
and focuses on telling the whole truth about the character, both his good and bad actions and the
reasons behind them. He was meant to be a very tangible person, one that the average person of this
time could relate to. Pip was written to be very “real”, with all his flaws and positive attributes.

The Rise of the Novel

Prior to the Victorian Era, poetry had been the dominant form of literature. However, changes in class
structure saw the novel rise in popularity. As the middle class expanded and more people became
literate, the popularity of the novel exploded. These works also became more accessible as a result of
the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of newspapers and the periodical press. Most notably, the
works of Charles Dickens were frequently serialized in newspapers or journals, his first being Pickwick
Papers in 1836. As a result of this serialization and a focus on character rather than plot, Dickens’ works
are sometimes criticized for having weak plots. The subject matter of realistic Victorian novels also
helped increase their popularity. Dickens particularly would portray the lives of working class people,
creating characters that the new rising middle class audience could relate to. The realistic Victorian
novel focused on characters and themes such as the plight of the poor and social mobility that was being
afforded to a new middle class and the rising middle class were eager to consume these novels.

First Edition copies of Charles Dickens serialized Pickwick Papers

Evolution of the Realistic Victorian Novel

Queen Victoria’s reign lasted until 1901 and the literature that was being produced closer to the turn of
the century shared few characteristics with the earlier works of the Victorian Era. Those writers at the
end of the Victorian Era such as Oscar Wilde and Thomas Hardy. The novelists at the turn of the century
continued to explore the problems in English social life, but explored other key themes as well. The
greatest departure from the early Victorian era came from these authors exploration of themes such as
sexuality and a focus on the ways in which science and technology would revolutionize the world in the
upcoming century.

Characteristics of the Realistic Victorian Novel

• An emphasis on the here and now
• Attention to specific action and verifiable consequences
• Realists evoke common actions, present surface details, and emphasize the minor catastrophes of the
middle class
• They employ simple direct language and write about issues of conduct
• Characterization is very important. There is often an abundance of characters and social types

What is Realism?
Quite obviously, the genre of realism is dedicated to identifying what is real and what is not. But, what
exactly is “real?” Literature in Realism defines reality as something that exists prior to, and completely
separate from, human thought or speech. Therefore, it is literature’s responsibility to accurately
interpret and represent reality. As literature attempts to do this, it simultaneously depicts the anxieties,
desires, and achievements of the Victorian time period. While Realism certainly encompasses its own
unique ideas, the genre continued to utilize the strengths of empiricism and romanticism. For example,
the topic of nature is still focused upon, but realistic literature acknowledges the fact that the human
mind is a separate entity from nature. Therefore, realistic literature aims to answer the question of how
the mind can possibly know and/or understand nature accurately. There are two main theories that
assist in answering that question.
Realism began as a literary movement in response to and as a departure from the idealism of the
Romantic period. Realism emerged in literature in the second half of the nineteenth century, most
predominantly in novels. Realism was characterized by its attention to detail, as well as its attempt to
recreate reality as it was. As a result, plot was no longer the central to the focus of the author, but
rather creating interesting and complex characters took precedence. Realism also placed an emphasis
on describing the material and physical details of life, as opposed to the natural world as characterized
by the Romantic period. Many Realistic novelists veered away from the softer aspects of Romanticism,
such as intense tenderness and idealism, because they believed those characteristics misrepresented
the harsh realities of life. Realism emphasizes accurate descriptions of setting, dress, and character in
ways that would have appeared inappropriate to earlier authors. Realism, which emphasizes the
importance of the ordinary person and the ordinary situation, generally rejects the heroic and the
aristocratic and embraces the ordinary working class citizen.

Criticisms of Realism
The Realistic novel was very bold compared to the literature before its time. The realistic novel was
meant to be like real life, so the literature would hold things in it that were taboo before, such as
masturbation. It also showed a lot of the unfortunate events. Critics complained of authors only focusing
on the negative, that focusing on the things that were falling apart were too unpleasant. Realistic novels,
like real life, didn’t always have a happy ending. It was also noted that not much really happened in the
plot of the novels. The attention to detail of the character led to little plot development and payoff.

Representational vs. Revelation Theories and the Importance of the Word “Idea”
Representational theories are specifically concerned with what separates the mind from the world
surrounding it. Revelation theories, on the other hand, are more interested in the immediate knowledge
of what is considered real, invoking either perception or intuition to achieve that knowledge. Moreover,
in this light, it is equally important to acknowledge the word “idea.” How exactly does one define the
word? In Victorian Realism, “idea” can be interpreted in two equally meaningful ways: perceptual or
linguistic representation. From these concepts, one can see the very direct influence of Lockean
principles, which affirm that words function as representatives. To genuinely understand Victorian
Realism, it is almost necessary to first acknowledge that nothing is “real,” (a revelation, as it were).
Following that understanding is the comprehension of the paramount concept of representation:
nothing is real until the human mind perceives it and assigns it valuable meaning.

Sometimes, Victorian realists of this time period admitted to being quite overwhelmed by the idea of a
gap existing between the human mind and the rest of the world, or reality. One such realist, Dante
Gabriel Rossetti, an English poet and artist, acknowledged how frightening this doctrine was, but at the
same time, he expressed attraction to it as well. It seemed that he found these representational theories
to be endlessly fascinating, as he came to realize that his artistic products might be entirely divorced
from reality and the world around him. Perhaps it can comfort an artist, if he is able to produce
something beautiful through his own subjective interpretation of reality. It can’t be an easy feat to
create such art, and subsequently allow others, and even one’s self, to search for significance and
meaning under the physical surface.

Victorian Realistic Art – Linnell, Harvest Moon, 1858

One of the most famous realistic writers, Charles Dickens, directed his attention more towards
revelation theories than the representational. On the topic of reality being understood as what is
immediately available to one’s senses, Dickens further highlighted the importance of memory, which he
described as a kind of vision, or way of seeing the world. Moreover, in his narrative-style novel Great
Expectations, memory is a key concept in the story, as Pip recalls all of the events from memory. Some
readers complain about the fact that the novel does not offer anyone’s perspective other than Pip’s, but
it is highly likely that Dickens chose to do this on purpose. He viewed memory and revelation theories as
very important to realistic literature, and a narrative could be described as a kind of “written memory.”
To write the novel from such a perspective begs an important and highly relevant question from the
readers: How do we know that Pip’s descriptions and thoughts are accurate representations of reality?
The honest answer is that we simply do not, and this kind of ambiguity leads to very interesting
discussions about Victorian Realism.

Charles Dickens, 1858

Narratives and Suspense

Narratives were an extremely popular style of writing for Victorian Realism, as it easily invoked all the
theories described above. Along with challenging the notion of what is real and what is not, comes the
impression of suspense experienced by the readers. By suspense, the obvious interpretation of the word
means that the reader experiences tension and anxiety throughout the perusal of a story, but an
attractive one that motivates him to read further. At the same time, though, suspense also refers to the
action of actually suspending judgment as both a Victorian reader and writer. But what is meant by
“judgment?” Of course, it is only human nature to judge a piece of literature as one reads it, but in the
topic of Victorian Realism, the judgment that should be suspended is actually referring to judgment of
what the speaker in a narrative is portraying as “real.” Moreover, the reader is expected to take what
the narrator says at face value. Additionally, judgment must also be suspended as a reader makes
assumptions based upon his unique beliefs. Doing so brings us back to the earlier definition of suspense,
in which the reader is meant to feel anxious about the rising action in a narrative. If a reader refuses to
suspend his judgment in his assumptions, beliefs, and subjective interpretations of reality, he will not
experience the pleasures of suspense that are meant to be felt.

For example, in Dickens’s Great Expectations, a great deal of suspense arises from the fact that Pip does
not know, for the majority of the novel, who his benefactor is. The pleasure of reading the novel comes
from readers’ guesswork about the identity of the benefactor. In general, when a secret emerges in
Victorian fiction, and the suspense is lifted, things often turn out to be entirely different than what was
expected. This realization is meant to be enjoyable for the reader, as it has most likely kept his attention
while he has read the story. Also, in Great Expectations, the very fact that there are two different
endings to the novel serves to create suspense for readers, and further promotes more thought-
provoking discussion.

The End of Realism

Realism characterized such a valiant parting from what readers had come to imagine from the novel.
Critics, in some occasions, reasoned that Realism seemed to focus largely on any negative views of life.
Things “falling apart” was a large captivation to most, however, it was quite the opposite for others. In
some cases, readers were complaining about how in realistic fiction, there wasn’t much of interest
happening. Their concern was also about how everything seemed to be more about talking and there
wasn’t enough action to back anything up. Henry James, as a prime example, was criticized for his
loquaciousness.

Realism had turned to Naturalism towards the end of the nineteenth century. With Naturalism, writers
defined their character using their heredity and history. Qualities that people found distasteful in
Realism, which was the fixation with character and the thoroughly dull plots, was intensified by
Naturalism. The impact was uniquely because of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution that inspired
other writers to branch out into something that differs from Realism. Whereas Realism seeks only to
describe subjects as they really are, naturalism also endeavors to govern “scientifically” the underlying
forces, like the heredity and history, manipulating all of the actions of the subjects.
Popularity of the Realistic Victorian Novel
The most popular novels of the Victorian age were realistic, thickly plotted, crowded with characters,
and long. Describing contemporary life and entertainment for the middle class. According to Merriam
Webster, popularity is the “state of being liked, enjoyed, accepted, or done by a large number of
people”. So the popularity of the realistic Victorian Novel would be entirely dependent on the people
who read them. For example, Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations was originally released weekly
in newspaper publications and people enjoyed it so much that it became in high demand quickly, and
eventually it was turned into a one novel. The realistic Victorian novels became popular because it was
the first time characters in a novel were similar and connected to the people of the middle class.

Newspapers, Press, and Publishing:

One very important source of information on the realistic novel’s popularity are the newspapers that
wrote about them. In the Penny Illustrated Paper and Illustrated Times there are two different
instances, with two different articles, where Charles Dickens’s popularity and worth are celebrated,
years after his death in 1870 (1892 and 1894).

The number of periodicals that were produced were greatly increased during this time period. By the
early 19th century, there were 52 London papers and over 100 other titles. There was a massive growth
in overall circulation of major events, information and weekly publication of literature. In 1802 and 1815
the tax on newspapers was increased. Unwilling to pay this fee, hundreds of untaxed newspapers made
their appearance. The development of the press was greatly assisted by the gradual abolition of the
taxes on periodicals. Both of these developments made the newspaper more affordable to a greater
percentage of the population.
Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_British_newspapers#19th_century

The book publishing industry grew throughout the 19th century. There was a dramatic increase in
literacy along with the growth of libraries and public schools. This provided a rapidly growing market for
books. The introduction of technological advances allowed more volume at less cost. During the 19th
century, big publishing firms emerged and some of these companies remain active in the industry today.

In the 19th century practices of paying authors began to standardize. Publishers paid a percentage
based on the price of the book and number of books sold. During the Victorian period, the
communication industry including publishing and printing of books accelerated the processes of
economic, social and cultural change by dramatically increasing the volume and speed of which
information, news and entertainment flowed through society.

Resource: http://eduscapes.com/bookhistory/commodity/5.htm

Education and Literacy

See More Here /Education,+Literacy+and+Publishing+in+Victorian+England

STATISTICS
The next best source of information on the realistic novel’s popularity are the number of copies sold
over a certain number of years.
Again, Dickens will be the main focus, with his Pickwick Papers having sold 40,000 copies per issue at the
time Part 15 came into print, and then selling 140,000 copies by 1863 in book form and 800,000 by
1879. Furthermore, The first issue of David Copperfield sold 25,000 copies between 1849 and 1850.
To add a bit of perspective to these numbers, at the beginning of the 19th century, books were a luxury.
The price had recently rose to unprecedented heights, cutting out the middle class, even though they
could have been the biggest consumers. Between 1828 and 1853 the average price of a book was said to
have declined by forty percent, but that forty percent was off of an abnormally high starting price. At
around the time of Dickens ninety to ninety-five percent of new publications were selling around five
hundred copies or less (though this did not account for every new publication, considering Dickens’s
statistics stated above, and other best selling authors).

Rise of Feminism and Important Female Novelists

The Victorian Era was a period of great social and political reform, especially regarding the role of
women. Women began actively seeking equal social and legal rights as men, and one of the main ways
they attempted to draw attention to their plight was through writing. Women wrote in order to make a
living, contribute to the literary world, and most importantly change British society and fight for
women’s rights. Voting and property rights, education opportunities, and employment restrictions were
all issues women of 19th century Britain faced. Many women decided to address the issues in writing
and publishing their work in order to make their voices heard and demand equality. As a result,
Feminism started to gain momentum out of the frustration women faced with the openly unfair and
worsening social and political situation (“I Take Up My Pen”). Some of the more popular female novelists
of this time include Charlotte Bronte and George Eliot. Many women of the Victorian Era published their
work anonymously or under pseudonyms to ensure that their works would be given the same merit that
works by male authors were granted. Using gender ambiguous pseudonyms, which all of the Bronte
sisters did, allowed female novelists the freedom to create characters exactly the way they wanted
without fear of being disrespected or not taken seriously because they were created by women.

The idea of the “New Woman” was also popular during the Victorian Era and served as a significant
cultural icon. The New Woman was the opposite of the stereotypical Victorian Woman who was
uneducated, reliant entirely on a man, and led an entirely domestic life. Instead, the New Woman was
intelligent, independent, educated, and self-supporting. This ideology played a significant role in
important social changes that would lead to redefining gender roles, improving women’s rights, and
overcoming masculine supremacy. New Woman novels generally focused on rebellious women and
were known for voicing dissatisfaction with the Victorian woman’s position in marriage and society
overall. They strive to redefine a woman’s role in marriage and other societal norms, as well as fix the
relationships between the sexes and support women’s professional aspirations (Diniejko).

Charlotte Bronte was one of the most prominent Realistic Victorian novelists and published most of her
work under the gender neutral pseudonym “Currer Bell”. In her novels, Bronte created strong female
heroines who possessed free thought, intellect, and strong moral character. She wrote for the women
she saw as being oppressed by society, which included teachers, governesses, and spinsters. She felt
that all of these women were imprisoned by society or circumstances beyond their control, and Bronte
was impelled to speak out for them in her writing (Lowes). Unmarried, middle-class women either had
to turn to prostitution or be a governess in order to earn a living. However, a governess has no security
of employment, received minimal wages, and was isolated in the household with the label of being
somewhere in-between a family member and a servant. The large amount of middle-class women who
had to resort themselves to the ambiguous role of governess lead to a rise in popularity of the governess
novel because it explored a woman’s role in society (“The Victorian Age”). The most popular example of
a governess novel would be Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre, which is a fictional autobiography of the
orphan Jane Eyre as she matures and becomes a governess at Thornfield manor. Jane is rebellious,
resourceful, and brave woman, despite all the obstacles that stand in her way in a male-dominated
society. Jane ultimately falls in love with Rochester, but breaks away from society because she marries
him out of love and not for the labels or security of a man and money that it provides. Jane respects
Rochester and doesn’t compromise her morals or her personality just to satisfy him, which Bronte
believed to be very important (Lowes).

Charlotte Bronte
“While we did not like to declare ourselves women, because—without at that time suspecting that our
mode of writing and thinking was not what is called ‘feminine’ — we had a vague impression that
authoresses are liable to be looked on with prejudice;”
– Charlotte Bronte on why women writers used pseudonyms

Popular Victorian Authors and Their Realistic Novels

Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855)
•Jane Eyre

Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

•Great Expectations
•Pickwick Papers
•Oliver Twist

George Elliot (really Mary Evans) (1819-1890)

•Middlemarch

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

•Jude The Obscure

Neo-Victorianism and The New Realistic Novel

The Neo-Victorian movement began as a revival of the social and literary elements of the Victorian Era.
A Neo-Victorian Novel is a novel written in modern times that takes place in the 19th century and
usually puts a spin on the characteristics of the Victorian Era. More often than not, these novels will
point out and bring to light some of the follies of the Victorian Era. Another quality of Neo-Victorian
writing is that it often tells the intimate stories of those who were not the center of Victorian novels
because of social constructs, such as, women and servants. For an example, these novels bring to light
the fact that woman were sexual and powerful beings, during a time period where that was not
believed.
Charles Dickens has been thoroughly discussed throughout this page as the representative Victorian
Realistic Novelist. Therefore, “Girl in A Blue Dress” by Gaynor will be the Neo-Victorian Novel that will
represent the reimagining of the Victorian Era because Dicken’s life is the subject of it. “Girl in a Blue
Dress” was written in 2008 and takes place in 1870. It is inspired by the life and marriage of Catherine
and Charles Dickens; represented by Dorothea and Alfred Gibson in the novel. This novel reimagines the
mistreatment and eventual exile of Catherine at the end of her and Charles’s marriage. However, this
novel sets Catherine, or Dorothea, as the narrator and protagonist of the story; giving us the inner
thoughts and feelings of this devoted woman.
SOME OTHER REALISTIC NEO-VICTORIAN NOVELS TO LOOK AT:
Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)
“Mrs. Dalloway”

“The Waves”

“To The Light House”

Sarah Waters (1966-present)

“Fingersmith”- takes place in the 19th century, written in 2002.

John Fowles (1926-2005)

“The French Lieutenant’s Woman”- takes place in the mid 19th century, written in 1969.

A. S. Byatt (1936-present)
“Angels and Insects: Morpho Eugenia”- takes place in 1860, written in 1992.
Good and evil
"If he loved you with all the power of his soul for a whole lifetime, he couldn't love you as much as I do
in a single day."

At the beginning, Heathcliff is a boy with a dark past that leads him to do some questionable things.
Cathy is the one that leads him to change himself.

Catherine said that it would be degrading for her to marry Heathcliff. After overhearing this he runs
away and when he returns he is a changed man and he has somehow come to have some money. This
change is for Cathy in the hopes that she will see he isn’t so bad of a man after all.

The love that Heathcliff has for Catherine is something that gives him good qualities but as the book
continues,

his love turns

to jealousy

that makes

him an evil character.

Tyrannical

Underbred pride

dress and manners of a gentleman

"I afterwards learnt Heathcliff

had treated him, to compel this

apparent eagerness: his efforts

redoubling the more imminently

his avariciour and unfeeling plans were

threatened with defeat by death" -Nelly

Violent

"he seized her with the liberated hand,

and, pulled her on his knee, administered

with the other a shower of terrific slaps

on the side of the head"

"Revenge proves its own executioner"

-John Ford, The Broken Heart

"There was a restless, anxious expression in his coutenance I had never remarked before; and he looked
sparer in person" - Nelly

Death via broken heart

Takotsubo Cardiomyopthy

In chapter 17, Isabella flees Wuthering Heights for London, cutting her relationship with Heathcliff short,
which he really had no care for in the first place. This is number 7 of the Evil Eight, short term
relationships. As a way to "brag" about outsmarting Hindley, Heathcliff corrupts Hareton by not teaching
him or showing him how to be mannerly.

Heathcliff shows his evil side throughout the middle of the novel.

Heathcliff displays numbers 2, 4 and 5 of the Evil Eight when he elopes with Isabella in chapter 12. This
action would obviously cause problems with Edgar and Catherine, and he did this without regard to his
true love's feelings. There is also the chance that this could ruin his chances completely with Catherine.

"We've all got both Light and Dark inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on, that's who
we really are."

Dark

"Rich girls don't marry poor boys."

-Jay Gatsby

Evil Eight's characteristics 1

and 3 are displayed on Isabella's

letter to Nelly in chapter 13.

Heathcliff has taken power of Wuthering

Heights at this point, and feels no

remorse for the pain he is causing

Isabella.
Heathcliff has many bad qualities that he showed throughout the course of the book. But at the
beginning he proved that there is a little bit of good in him that is related to his love for Cathy.

Sirius Black
According to Dr. Phil
Heathcliff
Or Evil?
GOOD?
Chapters 1-12

Chapters 12-24
Chapters 26-34

https://prezi.com/ldxxip1fqujt/heathcliff-good-vs-evil/
← The Medieval Mindset: The Letters of Abelard and Heloise (12th century)

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Love and Obsession: Discovering the genius of ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily

Brontë (1847)
Posted on September 7, 2016by shoshibookblog

I should probably begin this post with a disclaimer. I’ve never been a fan of ‘Wuthering Heights.’ I first read it as a
teenager, looking for another fiction hero to fall in love with and I was, simply, disgusted. As far as I could see,
Heathcliff was an abusive puppy-murdering sadist.* I was angry at the novel and I was really really angry that it was
being sold to young girls as a model for ideal relationships. I re-read it a bit later, in a slightly more accepting mind
frame (this time I knew what to expect) and was willing to concede that it had some powerful gothic scene setting, but
I’ve always been highly ambivalent about this most famous Brontë novel.

Before I get attacked for my lack of romance and literary appreciation, I’m going to devote this post to explaining why
I have changed my mind. I still hate Heathcliff, but I’ve just finished an extremely enjoyable re-read during which I
fell in love, not only with Hareton (my new literary crush) but also with the novel as a whole, which I can finally
appreciate as possibly the best-structured of any Victorian novel I’ve encountered.

Firstly, there’s the timing. The book takes place over an extremely precise time period, which frames and gives
enduring meaning to the story:

Part 1: It’s November and Mr Lockwood, a young man rather in love with the idea of living in splendid moody
isolation away from the world goes to visit his new landlord, Heathcliff, at Wuthering Heights. He meets all the
remnants of the Earnshaw/Linton/Heathcliff family (see family tree below) and has an introduction into their
frightening past and gloomy present. The snow is thick on the ground as he leaves Wuthering Heights; it’s the start of
a long winter.
Part 2: From November to January, Mr Lockwood is ill from his night at Wuthering Heights. Nelly Dean tells him
the story of the inhabitants, from Heathcliff’s introduction to the Earnshaw family right up till the current winter.
Part 3: It’s January, the worst of winter is over and Lockwood has recovered. He goes back to visit Wuthering
Heights, partly to explain to Heathcliff that he will be moving to London, probably until his lease is up.
Part 4: It’s late summer (September). Lockwood revisits the neighbourhood and Nelly Dean brings him up to date
with what has happened to the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights.
As you can see, the book has two timelines, one of which follows the natural year, from the chill death of winter
through spring and up till a late and abundant harvest. Simultaneously, we have a story that goes back in time and
that always works towards a clear end-point bringing Lockwood and the reader up to date, given they’ve already seen
a snapshot of the results of these actions.
The beautiful simplicity of the structure outlined above would be enough for the novel stand out as exceptional, but
there’s more. On re-reading I was finally able to see how every significant relationship in the book is an exploration of
love, especially obsessive, romantic love. Using the family tree, I’m going to be making the case for the novel
providing a pretty comprehensive picture of varieties of love and saying how the conclusions are possibly more moral
and less tempestuous than you might expect.

Motherly love: the oldest generations of mothers in the family are pretty insignificant. Two of the next generations
of mothers die in childbirth; the third survives, but she leaves the pages of the story at this point so we never actually
see her relationship with her son. The most maternal figure in the novel is Nelly Dean, and she’s hardly a beacon of
maternal affection. Though she raises and claims to adore Hareton, she later disowns him for his uncouth behaviour
after they are separated. Similarly, she loves young Cathy, but not unconditionally, certainly not uncritically.
Fatherly love: Fathers in this book are either abusive and/or neglectful or are doting and disappointed. They tend
to die at moments that cause maximum trauma to their guilty offspring.
Obsessive love: there’s just so much of it in the novel, I’m going to have to use more subheadings:
Hindley Earnshaw loves Frances with a destructive passion. No one else thinks much of her and the general
consensus appears to be that she isn’t worth it, but we’re told: He had room in his heart only for two idols – his wife
and himself: he doted on both, and adored one.‘ Frances’s death leads directly to a gambling and alcohol addition
which will destroy Hindley’s life and fortune. The general moral appears to be that selfish obsessive love is a bad
thing and that weak characters especially should really try to avoid it.
Edgar Linton loves Catherine blindly and passionately. I know that neither Nelly nor Catherine nor Heathcliff
really give him much credit for his unrequited passion, but it’s very hard to interpret his actions in any other
way. Certainly he loves her above anything else, including God – his final wish is to be buried next to her, out on the
moors, rather than in the consecrated churchyard.
Isabella Linton, poor Isabella Linton loves Heathcliff. She elopes with him and puts herself completely in his
power, all for love. It gets confusing because of the different voices telling her story, but we do know that her husband
takes joy in tormenting her and one time she tells Nelly that she hates him for this treatment his response is truly
chilling. ‘If you are called upon in a court of law, you’ll remember her language, Nelly! And take a good look at her
countenance; she’s near the point which would suit me. No; you’re not fit to be your own guardian, Isabella, now;
and I, being your legal protector must retain you in my custody.’ Think of Bertha Mason in ‘Jane Eyre’ and of Helen
Graham in ‘The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.’ Isabella is tragic, powerless and abused wife; her infatuation has done her
only harm. Sadly, ‘Wuthering Heights’ as a novel has little sympathy for her, it really doesn’t have any time for
unrequited love (see Edgar Linton above).
Catherine and Heathcliff – we all know this one. They love each other, they are each other, they make each other
(and everyone around them) desperately unhappy. I will note however that their love is not only mutually destructive
it is also of comparatively short duration. Going by one time frame of the novel, it’s over within a year and leaves no
legacy as Heathcliff has no living child and Catherine’s daughter subverts her mother’s destiny.
And then, my favourite bit. I have decided on this reading that ‘Wuthering Heights’ is actually a well disguised
didactic Victorian novel with a clear moral message – as shown by the fates and characters of the youngest
generation.

Linton Heathcliff – Young Cathy’s husband loves only himself and his pitiful, degraded attempts at affection suffer
greatly from comparison with the powerful passions that surround him. He’s a typically degenerate Victorian literary
creation in which the worst of inheritance and environment combine in a truly unsympathetic character. It comes as
no surprise to learn that purely selfish love will never survive the tempestuous claustrophobia of Wuthering
Heights. Readers take note, humans need to love each other if they are to avoid Linton’s terrible fate.
Cathy Linton – Young Cathy is not selfish and it seems that the biggest mistake of her life comes from her kind-
hearted regard for others rather than herself. Cathy actually takes a very conventional route for the adventurous yet
obedient heroine of any traditional gothic romance. Unlike them however, she learns from her actions, and develops
through her misfortunes. I must confess I grew to love Cathy on this reading, and I was much assisted in this by
paying attention to the timings of the novel (rather than what Nelly says). Cathy appears to spend very nearly one
year in numb grief after her father’s death, and her emergence from mourning is handled beautifully. One more thing
– Cathy is one of the only characters in the book to genuinely go against her own wishes in order to avoid causing pain
to a loved one. Her mother and Heathcliff may boast a lot of passion, but it is young Cathy who really gives us a view
of unselfish love in the book.
Hareton – I’ve already confessed to my crush on Hareton, so I may not be completely objective here. Hareton is my
kind of Byronic hero, an uncouth diamond in the rough who is rebellious and proud but also capable of profound
loyalty and many hidden kindnesses. Hareton is a clear parallel to Heathcliff, effectively abandoned by his father and
continually put down by all around him. His role in the book is to show that tempestuous and negative emotions,
inherited or encouraged by environment and education, can be conquered. Also, unlike Mr Lockwood, our want-t0-
be romantic narrator, Hareton is interested in inner worth as much as a pretty face. Hareton is the ultimate bad boy
made good and he’s also not a wife abuser. Readers wanting romance need look no further.
There we are, Wuthering Heights tells a dramatic, action packed story confined by space to the moors and by time to
one calendar year. There is a clear trajectory that takes us from the hell of the first visit to the house to a potential
vision of Eden at the end. Wonderfully, despite all of the famous demonic overtones, I am also now convinced that
Emily Brontë was on the side of the angels. It’s official, I’m a late but very enthusiastic member of the ‘Wuthering
Heights’ fan club and I’m so pleased to have finally arrived.

For much more in depth analysis and love of this novel, I recommend www.wuthering-heights.co.uk
___________________________________
* Heathcliff is not actually a puppy murderer, but he only gets off on a technicality. One, I misread the book
originally, and it is a dog, not a puppy that he hangs. Two, Nelly finds the dog and saves it. On the other hand, I’m
sure he would have acted exactly the same if Isobella’s favourite dog had been a puppy and he never learns of Nelly’s
later actions so I still consider him guilty.

Literature Analysis: Wuthering Heights

1. Brief Summary

Wuthering Heights begins with Lockwood, a tenant of Heathcliff's, visiting the home of his landlord. A following visit to Wuthering Heights
produces an accident and a supernatural encounter, which provokes Lockwood's curiosity. Back at Thrushcross Grange and recuperating from his
illness, Lockwood begs Nelly Dean, a servant who grew up in Wuthering Heights and now cares for Thrushcross Grange, to tell him of the
history of Heathcliff. Also, Nelly narrates the main plot line of Wuthering Heights.

Mr. Earnshaw, a Yorkshire Farmer and owner of Wuthering Heights, brings home an orphan from Liverpool. The boy is named Heathcliff and is
raised with the Earnshaw children, Hindley and Catherine. Catherine loves Heathcliff but Hindley hates him because Heathcliff has replaced
Hindley in Mr. Earnshaw's affection. After Mr. Earnshaw's death, Hindley does what he can to destroy Heathcliff, but Catherine and Heathcliff
grow up playing wildly on the moors, oblivious of anything or anyone else — until they encounter the Lintons.
Edgar and Isabella Linton live at Thrushcross Grange and are the complete opposites of Heathcliff and Catherine. The Lintons welcome
Catherine into their home but shun Heathcliff. Treated as an outsider once again, Heathcliff begins to think about revenge. Catherine, at first,
splits her time between Heathcliff and Edgar, but soon she spends more time with Edgar, which makes Heathcliff jealous. When Heathcliff
overhears Catherine tell Nelly that she can never marry him (Heathcliff), he leaves Wuthering Heights for 3 years.

While he is gone, Catherine ends up marrying Edgar. Their happiness is short-lived because they are from two different worlds, and their
relationship is strained even more when Heathcliff returns. Relationships are complicated further as Heathcliff winds up living with his enemy,
Hindley (and Hindley's son, Hareton), at Wuthering Heights and marries Isabella, Edgar's sister. Soon after Heathcliff's marriage, Catherine gives
birth to Edgar's daughter, Cathy, and dies.

Heathcliff vows revenge and doesn’t care who he hurts while accomplishing the revenge. He desires to gain control of Wuthering Heights and
Thrushcross Grange and to destroy everything Edgar Linton holds dear. In order to assess his revenge, Heathcliff must wait 17 years. Finally, he
forces Cathy to marry his son, Linton. By this time he has control of the Heights and with Edgar's death, he has control of the Grange.

Through all of this, though, the ghost of Catherine haunts Heathcliff. What he truly desires more than anything else is to be reunited with his soul
mate. At the end of the novel, Heathcliff and Catherine are united in death, and Hareton and Cathy are going to be united in marriage.

2. Theme

The effects of intense suffering.

Catherine, Heathcliff, and Hindley’s pain leads them to turn to and torment others. There’s a possibility they are cruel by nature and there’s a
possibility they are formed by childhood abuse. If these are so, a question rises as to what extent they should be held responsible for or blamed for
their cruelties. A question can be raised along these lines. Is all their suffering inflicted by others or by outside forces, like the death of Hindley's
wife, or is at least some of their torment self-inflicted, like Heathcliff's holding Catherine responsible for his suffering after her death?

3. Tone

The opening of the novel is sarcastic since Nelly and Mr. Heathcliff don’t have a close relationship as this following quote supposedly describes
it being.

“I have just returned form a visit to my landlord- the solitary neighbor that I shall be troubled with. This is certainly a beautiful country! In all
England, I do not believe that I could have fixed on a situation so completely removed from the stir of society. A perfect misanthropist’s heaven:
and Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the desolation between us. A capitol fellow! He little imagined how my heart warmed
towards him when I beheld his black eyes withdraw so suspiciously under their brows, as I rode up, and when his fingers sheltered themselves,
with a jealous resolution, still further in his waistcoat, as I announced my name.” (Chapter 1 page 17)

The novel furthers with a melodramatic tone.

“He fixed his eyes on me longer than I cared to return the stare, for fear I might be tempted either to box his ears or render my hilarity audible. I
began to feel unmistakably out of place in that pleasant family circle. The dismal spiritual atmosphere overcame, and more than neutralized, the
glowing physical comforts round me; and I resolved to be cautious how I ventured under those rafters a third time.” ( Chapter 2 page 26)

“My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I’m well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff
resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary.” (Chapter 9 page 82)

4. Literary Elements
Characters- The characters helped me to understand the novel a lot because they were so involved in the plot and each added their own flare to
the drama going on.

“No, indeed! No, indeed!” replied I with decision. “Then he would write to you, and there’d never be an end of it. No, Miss Catherine, the
acquaintance mush be dropped entirely: so papa expects, and I shall see that it is done.” (page 199)

Tone- The tone was helpful because I was able to understand the different conflicts that arose more accurately.

“I couldn’t bear to witness her sorrow: to see her pale, dejected countenance, and heavy eyes; and I yielded, in the faint hope that Linton himself
might prove, by his reception of us, how little of the tale was founded on fact.” (page 208)

Setting- With an understanding of the setting it helps me visualize where the story takes place, which are two neighboring houses: Wuthering
Heights and Thrushcross Grange.

Theme- There are multiple themes of the novel such as the conflicts of love, social class, and intense suffering. Each of these helps me to
understand the plot better because it helps me to look at the bigger picture.

Foreshadowing- Lockwood’s ghostly nightmares, during the night he spends in Catherine’s old bed, foreshadowed and helped me to understand
many of the events of the rest of the novel.

“The intense horror of nightmare came over me: I tried to draw back my arm, but the hand clung to it,
and a most melancholy voice sobbed, ‘Let me in-let me in!’”. (page35)

Analysis of Wuthering Heights

Some of the questions or items I would deal with in analysis of Wuthering Heights would be -

Setting- the place, Yorkshire moors, a remote and rugged northern rural area of sheep farming. A place removed from
the mainstream and independent, a place alone.

Within that setting, everything is double-

2 houses-

the farm house at the Heights, strong, built of stone, buffeted by winds and storms, solid and alive with farm and
family life with evidence of cooking, hunting, animal raising etc., with great fires in fireplace, articles of daily life on
show, great hams hanging and copper pans etc. in dresser

- the manor house at the Grange, in the valley, protected from winds, enclosed in a park, with kitchens removed from
the living rooms, gilded and decorated richly.

-2 atmospheres- the wild Heights and the civilized Grange - and these change with the inmates- the heights sparkles
with family life and wallows in filth and hate - the Grange fosters in sunshine and joy a new marraige and becomes a
stifling prison.

A discussion of the contrasts here between the Heights and the Grange would be useful. For example, How do the
characters react to these two places? Heathcliff scorns the " soft civilized place" and Cathy, who admired the Grange
and its luxuries, later finds it stifling. Cathy and Heathcliff both look upon the wild height as heaven. How does Nelly
feel? Lockwood and Isabella?

Characters are also double

2 families- the Earnshaws who are of farming stock and the Lintons, gentry.

2 generations- Heathcliff, Cathy, Edgar and Hareton, Linton, Catherine.

How do they contrast with each other and interact.? The relationships are complex- Heathcliff becomes foster brother
to the Earnshaw children and conflict results. Other relationships are formed, creating more havoc.

Cathy marries Edgar. Isabella becomes Cathy's sister-in law. Heathcliff marries Isabella and becomes Edgar's brother-
in law. Linton marries young Catherine and becomes Heathcliff's daughter-in-law. Linton, and Hareton are young
Catherine's cousins and husbands.

Heathcliff and Cathy's characters are very important to explore, in the first generation of conflict and death, and
Hareton's and Catherine's character in the second generation of reconciliation and life.

The characters are complex and fully drawn. Even Heathcliff" the devil" can sit by a sick bed and hold an hours
conversation about intelligent matters. Joeseph, believes in the religious trend of the day, predestination and the
chosen elect who will go to heaven while everyone else goes to hell. Hear him pray in the thunderstorm to be set aside
with the elect of god. Hareton, brought up in rudeness and dirt, has terrible table manners and a golden heart and
noble spirit. And so.... all the other charters ........

Narration gives a double view with 2 narrators, female, Nellie, an insider and male, Lockwood, outsider. What does
Nelly tell? How does she tell it? How does she affect the action? Lockwood stumbles into a mystery. How does this
grab the reader's interest and hold it?

The plot centers on the insertion of into the family as a foster brother, and all of the disruptions of relationships that
follow. Joseph is a fixed mover in the story, preaching hell and damnation throughout. The plot is driven by
Heathcliff's and Cathy's need for each other, a need that defies death. Explore hate and love relationships and the
seeking of revenge and of peace.

The language needs some examination. The dialect of Joseph and the very poetical language of Emily Bronte. She
uses lots of alliteration.

Then, of course , the theme.. What is it? Is it a boy girl love story or something far greater like an agony of the human
soul. ? Is there more than one theme? What about religion, and marriage with the husband having all of the rights,
and behaviour, and prejudice against " the Gypsy and the out and outer"

Content is rich-The detail in the story is fascinating. Every part of daily life is exposed, down to the very chairs and
beds and food and fires and sheep herding. Wills and weddings show Emily's knowledge of family law. The inside of
the houses and the outside of the moors are described as well as the inside and the outside of all of the people.

Some content is missing on purpose. Emily Bronte leaves mysteries everywhere. Where was Heathcliff born? Who is
he? Where does he run away to? How does he educate himself and get rich? Where did Hindley meet his wife,
Frances? Who was she? Cathy wants to tell Ellen a dream but tells another. What was the first dream about? How
does she catch and hold the readers attention, throughout the story and for ever in memory?

And what about Nellie? How does she drive the plot. Is she an observer or an activist? Does she good or harm?
WUTHERING HEIGHTS BY EMILY BRONTE

Emily Bronte was a clergyman’s daughter. She grew up in a remote part of England. She didn’t like to travel. When she left home she became ill. She
never married and she died at the age of 30 having published her only novel and some poetry. It was one of the most shocking novel in English literature.
When it was first published 1847, it created a firestorm of protest. It was called one of the most repellent book ever published. One critic said it should be
burnt. The protest only settle down when the second edition came out and the author was revealed to be the daughter of a parson from west-Yorkshire.
How had a parson’s daughter created such a threat to civilized society as Heathcliff, a hero driven by sexual passion and vengeance and instead of a
proper Victorian heroine she gave the world a married woman who runs around on the moor in her nightgown with her lover. The reading public was
shocked. Shocked. But the novel has never been out of print and has had many film/ TV adaptations: WUTHERING HEIGHTS.
Plot

In the late winter months of 1801, a man named Lockwood rents a manor house called Thrushcross Grange in the isolated moor country of England. Here,
he meets his dour landlord, Heathcliff, a wealthy man who lives in the ancient manor of Wuthering Heights, four miles away from the Grange. In this wild,
stormy countryside, Lockwood asks his housekeeper, Nelly Dean, to tell him the story of Heathcliff and the strange denizens of Wuthering Heights. Nelly
consents, and Lockwood writes down his recollections of her tale in his diary; these written recollections form the main part of Wuthering Heights.

Nelly remembers her childhood. As a young girl, she works as a servant at Wuthering Heights for the owner of the manor, Mr. Earnshaw, and his family.
One day, Mr. Earnshaw goes to Liverpool and returns home with an orphan boy whom he will raise with his own children. At first, the Earnshaw
children—a boy named Hindley and his younger sister Catherine—detest the dark-skinned Heathcliff. But Catherine quickly comes to love him, and the
two soon grow inseparable, spending their days playing on the moors. After his wife’s death, Mr. Earnshaw grows to prefer Heathcliff to his own son, and
when Hindley continues his cruelty to Heathcliff, Mr. Earnshaw sends Hindley away to college, keeping Heathcliff nearby.

Three years later, Mr. Earnshaw dies, and Hindley inherits Wuthering Heights. He returns with a wife, Frances, and immediately seeks revenge on
Heathcliff. Once an orphan, later a pampered and favored son, Heathcliff now finds himself treated as a common laborer, forced to work in the fields.
Heathcliff continues his close relationship with Catherine, however. One night they wander to Thrushcross Grange, hoping to tease Edgar and Isabella
Linton, the cowardly, snobbish children who live there. Catherine is bitten by a dog and is forced to stay at the Grange to recuperate for five weeks, during
which time Mrs. Linton works to make her a proper young lady. By the time Catherine returns, she has become infatuated with Edgar, and her relationship
with Heathcliff grows more complicated.

When Frances dies after giving birth to a baby boy named Hareton, Hindley descends into the depths of alcoholism, and behaves even more cruelly and
abusively toward Heathcliff. Eventually, Catherine’s desire for social advancement prompts her to become engaged to Edgar Linton, despite her
overpowering love for Heathcliff. Heathcliff runs away from Wuthering Heights, staying away for three years, and returning shortly after Catherine and
Edgar’s marriage.

When Heathcliff returns, he immediately sets about seeking revenge on all who have wronged him. Having come into a vast and mysterious wealth, he
deviously lends money to the drunken Hindley, knowing that Hindley will increase his debts and fall into deeper despondency. When Hindley dies,
Heathcliff inherits the manor. He also places himself in line to inherit Thrushcross Grange by marrying Isabella Linton, whom he treats very cruelly.
Catherine becomes ill, gives birth to a daughter, and dies. Heathcliff begs her spirit to remain on Earth—she may take whatever form she will, she may
haunt him, drive him mad—just as long as she does not leave him alone. Shortly thereafter, Isabella flees to London and gives birth to Heathcliff’s son,
named Linton after her family. She keeps the boy with her there.

Thirteen years pass, during which Nelly Dean serves as Catherine’s daughter’s nursemaid at Thrushcross Grange. Young Catherine is beautiful and
headstrong like her mother, but her temperament is modified by her father’s gentler influence. Young Catherine grows up at the Grange with no knowledge
of Wuthering Heights; one day, however, wandering through the moors, she discovers the manor, meets Hareton, and plays together with him. Soon
afterwards, Isabella dies, and Linton comes to live with Heathcliff. Heathcliff treats his sickly, whining son even more cruelly than he treated the boy’s
mother.
Three years later, Catherine meets Heathcliff on the moors, and makes a visit to Wuthering Heights to meet Linton. She and Linton begin a secret romance
conducted entirely through letters. When Nelly destroys Catherine’s collection of letters, the girl begins sneaking out at night to spend time with her frail
young lover, who asks her to come back and nurse him back to health. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Linton is pursuing Catherine only
because Heathcliff is forcing him to; Heathcliff hopes that if Catherine marries Linton, his legal claim upon Thrushcross Grange—and his revenge upon
Edgar Linton—will be complete. One day, as Edgar Linton grows ill and nears death, Heathcliff lures Nelly and Catherine back to Wuthering Heights, and
holds them prisoner until Catherine marries Linton. Soon after the marriage, Edgar dies, and his death is quickly followed by the death of the sickly Linton.
Heathcliff now controls both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. He forces Catherine to live at Wuthering Heights and act as a common servant,
while he rents Thrushcross Grange to Lockwood.

Nelly’s story ends as she reaches the present. Lockwood, appalled, ends his tenancy at Thrushcross Grange and returns to London. However, six months
later, he pays a visit to Nelly, and learns of further developments in the story. Although Catherine originally mocked Hareton’s ignorance and illiteracy (in
an act of retribution, Heathcliff ended Hareton’s education after Hindley died), Catherine grows to love Hareton as they live together at Wuthering Heights.
Heathcliff becomes more and more obsessed with the memory of the elder Catherine, to the extent that he begins speaking to her ghost. Everything he sees
reminds him of her. Shortly after a night spent walking on the moors, Heathcliff dies. Hareton and young Catherine inherit Wuthering Heights and
Thrushcross Grange, and they plan to be married on the next New Year’s Day. After hearing the end of the story, Lockwood goes to visit the graves of
Catherine and Heathcliff. (plot overview from Sparknotes)

THEMES AND SETTING

 Emily Bronte

The spirit of Romanticism and its concern with the human soul are still present in Wuthering Heights in the correspondence between the
violent passions of the characters and the wild natural landscape. The desolate scenery of the Yorkshire moors, the wind, the storms are all
reflected in the psychological conflicts of the characters.
Heathcliff is a sort of "Byronic Hero", moved by irresistible, unrestrained and primitive passion, doomed to the despair of a solitary life and
finally tending to a total identity with his love, Catherine. But Heathcliff also resembles the villain of some Gothic novel in his inhuman
treatment of his wife, Isabella Linton, and even his son.

There are other Gothic elements in the novel, such as the sinister atmosphere of Wuthering Heights, surrounded by the wilderness,
Catherine's ghost, the dreams and superstition often mentioned.

There are several opposite principles clashing in the story: love and hate, order and chaos. However, the key opposition is represented
by the two houses, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. The first reflects his owner, Heathcliff. It is severe, gloomy and brutal in
aspect and atmosphere, firmly rooted in local tradition and custom. The second one, the home of the bourgeois Lintons, reflects their
conception of life based on stability, genteel refinement, kindness and respectability.Though opposed, they are complementary, they tend to
unity. With the marriage between Hareton and young Catherine, they will compose a harmony in the end, after the consummation
of Heathcliff's revenge and his death.

Death is an important theme in this novel. Unlike other Victorian novels, where death is either a moment of forgiveness or the moment in
which all the conflicts are settled, in Wuthering Heights, death is not a liberation of the spirit.

As a whole Wuthering Heights represents a unique achievement in Victorian literature. The novel marked a departure from the observation of
society towards the description of the individual personality, and anticipated the novelists of the early 20th century in narrative technique.
Great expectation

Education
Education in early 1800’s England

– Education in the 19th century was not yet widely seen yet, but in mid 19th century, education
could be seen more and more prominent in their society. In fact, education did not become a real
priority within England, until the enactment of the Education Act in 1870. With the Education Act,
which was considered to be the birth of modern education system, education bloomed, creating the
national system of state education. In Great Expectations, it spans pip’s life only about around the
years 1812-1841, but we still see signs of the society’s want for learning.

 “‘…I am paid for my services, or I shouldn’t render them. It is considered that you must be
better educated, in accordance with your altered position, and that you will be alive to the
importance and the necessity of at once entering on that advantage’” (Dickens, 155-156).

Here, Pip is introduced the the beginning of his educated life, by a man named Jaggers, his guardian
and a very suspenseful lawyer. In this quotation, it prompts to the reader that education is a
necessity to Pip’s founded great expectations. Thus, education brought Pip from a life of a blacksmith
to a life of a gentlemen. Schools and education weren’t a known priority yet by the time Pip started
his education. In England the only areas of education were found in churches, private individuals,
and guilds, as for Pip his was provided by an individual.

– Schools were very scarce at this time, but people started learning ever since we’ve existed. Prior
to the Education Act, children in this age were either educated or not educated at all, depending on
financial situation, sex, social class, religion, and of their values.In the Early 19th century the
majority of the schools were under the Church of England. Schools such as the University of London
and the Durham University were established in Early 19th century. Biddy, one of Pips Childhood
friends, knows the importance of education,

 “‘…I teach others. You know Mr. Pip,’ pursued Biddy with a smile, as she raised her eyes to
her face, ‘the new schools are not like he old, but I learn t a good deal from you after that
time, and have had time since then to improve’” (Dickens, 298)

Even in the very early stages of the century, Dickens acknowledges the growing forces of education.

_____________________________________________________________________
________________________

Education for the poor:

Schools were not staffed with the best teacher, not like we have now. they were in poor condition,
while we have air conditioning. ther was poor heat and lighting, and the lessons only covered the
basic reading and writing skills. the teacher were often woman( for Pip, Mr. Pocket), and all of which
were elderly, only having the desire for the income.

Education for the rich:

Educated women were hired to teach the children of the rich, and offered instructions for the family.
the were called Governess’s. Governess’s were required to be educated to get into that position, but
once they did they were not treated any more better than the servants. they were held for years until
the children were grown. they taught not only reading and writing, but also literature, languages, and
even science. Men were of this occupation as well, like Mr. Pocket.

https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2012/12/great-expectations.html
http://isabelgreatexpectations.blogspot.com/p/analysis-of-and.html
https://dickens2013.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/pip-prisoner-of-his-great-expectations-claire-leiter/

https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/great-expectations-and-class
https://www.charlesdickensinfo.com/novels/great-expectations/
https://brainly.in/question/5682590
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/greatex/facts/
4. http://vjrabhadiya.blogspot.com/2014/03/theme-of-marriage-in-sense-and.html
http://rivapandya.blogspot.com/2016/04/multipulsity-of-theme-in-middle-march.html
https://brainly.in/question/7058682
https://www.gradesaver.com/middlemarch/study-guide/summary-chapters-12-22

http://www.tmv.edu.in/pdf/Distance_education/MA(English)/English%20Fiction/Ch-5.pdf
https://www.slideshare.net/kishan8282/theme-of-middlemarach-46079375
https://www.slideshare.net/heenabazala3/middlemarch-57588227
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ir=1&article=1131&context=theses_dissertations

http://jumanipooja07201112.blogspot.com/2012/04/theme-of-middlemarch.html
https://blogs.commons.georgetown.edu/engl-161-spring2013/2013/03/19/gender-as-a-continuous-
theme-throughout-middlemarch/

http://tombaileyblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/consider-portrayal-of-marriage-in.html

5 http://shineshinos.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-major-characters-of-prime-of-miss.html