Context (AQA GCSE English Literature)

Context

There are only a maximum of six marks available in the 19th-century novel question for context. This may not seem like a lot, but six marks can be the difference between two entire grades at GCSE. Furthermore, if you understand how to effectively incorporate contextual understanding of your studied novel into your essay, it can even boost your mark in AO1 too, and help you create a more sophisticated and conceptualised response.

19th-century England

Below is some general context related to 19th-century England in which all of the authors wrote their novels. It should be stressed once again that it is not necessary, or even useful, to memorise all of this historical information, but that the notes below give a general sense of the behaviours and attitudes of the author’s time. Remember, you should only revise those contextual factors that are relevant to the ideas and themes of the novel you are studying.

There were a number of transformations during this period, from scientific, economic, and technological advances to changes in class structures, gender roles and the role of religion in society. As a result, many 19th-century novels frequently functioned as a social critique, highlighting the problems of the day.

Industrial Revolution

• For many people, the 19th century was a time of profound and accelerated change and this is reflected in the literature of the time

• The effects of industrialisation and urbanisation are heavily portrayed in the 19th-century novel:

  • Between 1800 and 1900, the reality of daily life changed significantly due to industrialisation, urbanisation, the advent of new technologies and new scientific discoveries

• Education and literacy levels underwent major adjustments and advances in printing technology made it possible to produce books and newspapers quickly and inexpensively 

Gender

• The social definitions of women’s roles in the 19th century led to criticism towards marriage in the work of some female writers:

• For example, in Pride and Prejudice, Austen highlights the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security

• This period was a time of expanding agency for women which also links to the context of empowerment of the disenfranchised:

  • The civic and social roles of women were being challenged during this period and women were beginning to redefine their position in society:

    • For example, in Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice, both female protagonists provide new perspectives on the role of strong independent women and their changing attitudes toward marriage and family

• The role of men in many ways was also being redefined during this period and the definition of masculinity was being challenged:

  • For example, in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the protagonist’s anxiety about women (who are largely absent from the novel) could be symbolic of the fear of women’s liberation and its potential threat to masculinity

The Poor and Disenfranchised 

• Much of the literature in the 19th century explored aspects of inequality in society and various societal reforms led to a greater concern for the poor and disenfranchised

• The class system in Victorian society deeply concerned many writers, who frequently used their literature to comment on the social and economic inequities of the time:

  • For example, in A Christmas Carol, Dickens uses the Ghost of Christmas Present to deliver scathing moral discourses about the condition of the poor and to encourage calls for social reform

• The development of prisons, workhouses and insane asylums (including new definitions of and treatments for madness) were a significant feature of 19th-century society:

  • References to these institutions within the 19th-century novel may have been used as a focus for other cultural anxieties at the time, such as class, masculinity and femininity or sexuality:

• For example, in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Hyde could be seen as a manifestation of Jekyll’s madness

• For example, in Jane Eyre, Bronte could be considered to have presented a connection between Bertha's mental instability and her immorality as a character

Religion and Science

• The Victorian era was a very religious era and religion pervaded most aspects of everyday life:

  • The Christian Bible was viewed as an essential guide to leading a moral life

• The emergence of new scientific ideologies played a crucial role in challenging established religious beliefs:

  • A decline in religious belief was evident amongst the industrial working classes

• Victorians traditionally sought solace in the notion that religion was the only viable explanation for the natural world:

  • Christian theology defined creation as an act of God, whereas Charles Darwin promoted the argument that man had evolved similarly to other species:

    • This led to traditional assumptions about religion being challenged and revised

• Religion and science are therefore central themes in many 19th-century novels and many explore the ideas of creation and moral responsibility:

  • For example, in Frankenstein, Victor’s creation of a monster and his reckless pursuit of scientific discovery leads to chaos and tragedy

Supernatural

• The belief in the supernatural played a significant role in the 19th century:

  • It permeated all forms of art and was seen as a reaction to the "Victorian crisis of faith", which meant people began to question organised religion and its role in their lives

• As a result of the Victorian era's increasing secularisation an interest in spiritualism began to increase:

  • In literature, the interest in the supernatural and the unknown coincided with the rise in popularity of ghost stories and was linked Victorian gothic conventions and sensationalism

  • For example, in A Christmas Carol, the supernatural is a central theme of the novella and the ghosts are used as a catalyst for Scrooge’s transformation

The 19th-century reader

• The audience for these novels would have comprised a wide range of social classes

• It is therefore useful to think of what their attitudes and behaviours would have been in general

  • What were the societal norms of the time?

  • How might these audiences have thought about topics like:

    • Social reform?

    • Religion?

    • Gender?

    • The class system?

    • The poor?

    • Science?

  • These topics should relate to the novel you have studied

  • Are the authors using the characters, or events in their novels, to reflect, or challenge these societal norms?

What not to do when exploring context

• Do not “bolt-on” irrelevant biographical or historical facts to your paragraphs

• Do not see context as history:

  • It is better understood as ideas and perspectives

• Do not explore contextual factors in your essay if they are not:

  • Relevant to the ideas and themes of the novel in general

  • Relevant to the question you have been set

  • Relevant to the central thesis of your own argument 

• Do not only add context at the end of paragraphs, or in some set paragraph structure that includes context:

  • It is much better to incorporate contextual understanding into your argument, or into your analysis of the author’s methods

• Do not include the formulation “A 19th-century audience would think… whereas a modern audience would think”:

  • This takes you away from your own ideas, and from answering the question directly

• Do not include analysis of adaptations of the novel (for example a film version):

  • This will affect your focus on answering the question

• Do not include interpretations of the text based on literary theory (for example Marxist, feminist, Freudian and Nietzschean theories):

  • These do not contribute to your own interpretation of the text!

What to do when exploring context

• Ensure all your exploration of context is linked to:

  • The themes and ideas the author is exploring in the novel

  • The question you have been set

  • Your own argument

• Understanding that context is about understanding ideas and perspectives

  • Think: what were the particular attitudes and behaviours of the author’s time that give a greater understanding of a theme or character?

  • Do these societal norms help explain a character’s actions, or development, over the course of the novel?

  • Is there a reason why the author is exploring a theme? Do they want to reflect or challenge their society’s attitudes on a particular issue?

• Some of these ideas are universal, which means that we don’t just need to think from the perspective of 19th-century attitudes and behaviours

  • Your own understanding of the following ideas is valid and useful to explore:

    • Gender

    • Religion

    • Class

    • The supernatural

    • Science

  • Exploration of universal ideas and perspectives is equally valid, and awarded marks for context in the same way